Nightmare in Amity Park
by Trevor the Enchanter
Summary: Over 20 years ago, Krueger was defeated. Now he's back and Amity Park is his new hunting ground. Can Danny Phantom stop him, or will everyone become Freddy's "Children"?
1. Return Engagement

Vlad Masters paced back and forth, trying to think of a way to escape from his trap

Vlad Masters paced back and forth, trying to think of a way to escape from his trap. Unfortunately, he could not come up with anything to stop the dream demons. From what little he knew of them, they were very deadly and not to be taken lightly. _I wonder why they haven't simply killed us. _Vlad wondered. _Most likely, they intend to let Krueger do the job._

"Ha, I win again." Clockwork bragged. He and Nancy Thompson were currently playing a poker game. Vlad found it ridiculous, but there was little else to do in that place.

"So what are we going to do?" Vlad demanded. "I'm not about to sit on the sidelines; I'm going to help Daniel." He heard a noise and looked up. According to the scoreboard the demons set up, Krueger had claimed another victim. _They just like to rub this in my face. Just wait until I get out of here, Krueger._

"For now, Vlad, we're stuck here." Nancy sighed. "I'm no happier than you about this. Let me know if you come up with another bright idea."

"Okay, so the last one didn't work; at least I'm trying." Vlad retorted. He had previously attempted to fight his way out. To put it lightly, that was a bad idea. He was still recovering from the injuries they gave him.

"I'm thinking, okay, since brute force is not going to work." Clockwork looked at him. "However, I'm sure you've already found that out."

"I still don't know what these things are." Nancy admitted.

"They're apparently the ones who granted Krueger his power." Vlad explained. "As long as they help him, he is immortal in the dream world." _It doesn't explain why he came back the first time we fought him, but maybe we didn't destroy him in the real world after all. Hey, I just thought of something. If Krueger is killed, we can use the chance to escape while these demons are reviving him. Unfortunately, it will likely be up to Daniel._

"There is one thing you overlooked, Vlad." Clockwork pointed out. "Krueger is not the only one that they had granted this ability to. True, he is the most deadly and notorious, but he is not alone."

"I don't see why this matters right now." Vlad replied angrily. "Damn it, I hate being trapped in here." It had been only a few days, but it felt much longer than that. There was an energy field around Clockwork's tower, which meant that even the master of time was powerless. "Okay, I'll join in. There's nothing else to do; give me some chips." Right before he started dealing the cards, he could have sworn he saw Clockwork smile.

XXXXXX

"That's eight murders in three days." Sam groaned. "Can't the police catch whatever maniac is doing this?"

"This reminds me of a horror movie." Derek pointed out. "Mysterious murders happening, the police helpless, supernatural implication…the list goes on."

"What are you even doing here?" Danny demanded, glaring at Derek, who returned the favor.

"Can't you two get along for one day?" Jazz complained. "Besides, it's not like we can really do anything. We're used to fighting ghosts, not stopping serial killers."

"You know, I've heard something weird in school." Tucker informed. "A few students have been mentioning some kind of bogeyman. They don't say it much, since you can imagine the kind of mockery they would endure, but the stories are the same."

"A bogeyman?" Valerie asked skeptically. "We outgrew that when we graduated from Kindergarten."

"That's true, but we know that some ghosts can access dreams." Jazz replied, looking at Danny. "Or have you forgotten about Noctrune?

"No, although I've been trying to." Danny shook his head. "Sigh, I suppose it's a possibility."

"Well, in that case, you might want to be careful." Derek pointed out. "You know the rules: don't have sex, don't drink or do drugs, and never say 'I'll be right back'; standard horror movie doctrine."

"This is reality, not a movie." Valerie groaned. "The odds of some maniac killing people in dreams are about as likely as you being some stupid fanfiction character." Everyone had a good laugh at that. "We'd better get to school before we're late."

"You'd think they'd let us off after everything that's happened." Tucker complained. "I'm in no shape to study, not after hearing that one of my friends has been butchered." True, they were only members of a computer club, but it hurt all the same.

"You know Lancer." Danny stated. "Besides, if it was something real serious, wouldn't Clockwork warn me or something?" They heard footsteps coming towards them. It turned out to be Dash Baxter.

"What do you want?" Derek demanded, even more hostile than Danny was to him.

"Fenton, thanks for helping to save my life." He told Danny. "If you tell anyone I was nice to you, I'll rip your head off. Good-bye!"

"Dash Baxter being civil?" Sam asked. "This may very well be a sign of the apocalypse."

"He hasn't been nearly as much of a bully, especially after what happened to Kwan." Valerie added. Danny bowed his head. He had to put Kwan out of his misery when he was infected with a Xenomorph. It had to be done, but he still felt guilty about it.

"Point taken," Danny nodded. "By the way, Umbra looks forward to seeing you, Valerie." They left after Jazz gave her boyfriend a quick kiss. Once they went to school, they noticed that it was unusually quiet. Even the football players were subdued.

"What's going on here?" Tucker wondered. "I'm used to weird circumstances, but this is beyond even me."

They separated into their class. However, even Lancer was having difficulty teaching, which amazed Danny. "Class, I have some bad news. Star Galtier was found dead last night." The whole class looked at one another, uncertain how to react.

"Jeez, I never liked her much, but she didn't deserve this." Sam whispered to Danny. That was an understatement. If anything, she hated Star even more than Paulina. She looked to the right and saw Paulina crying, while almost every guy in class tried to comfort her. "I'll bet she's faking it."

"This isn't the time for accusations." Danny replied. Privately, he felt the guys were taking advantage of the tragedy, but he decided to keep that to himself. "I've got to stop him. He's done enough damage already. Course, I don't know who 'he' is, but that's not important." Normally, Sam would have made a comment that it could have been a "she" as well. The fact that she hadn't told him how seriously she was taking everything.

Mr. Lancer finished talking, and then tried to teach the class. Unfortunately, no one was paying even the slightest attention. Everyone was talking about Star's death, and to Sam's lack of surprise, rumors started flying around. Most of them were ridiculous, but one of them stuck out in Danny's mind. "I highly doubt that she was killed by a crazy boyfriend." Danny shook his head. "Forget it, I'm out of here." He marched out of the classroom. Mr. Lancer looked as if he was going to stop him, but thought better of it. He transformed into Phantom and flew out, lost in his own thoughts.

"Where are you?" he asked himself. "When I find you, you're going to pay for all of this."

"Phantom, halt!" Someone exclaimed over a loudspeaker. There were several police cruisers and every officer had guns pointing in his direction. They wouldn't have done any good, but it still irritated Danny.

_I told you: society never accepts what it considers different. _

_Who are you? _Danny demanded.

_I'm what you rejected, what you turned down. All I wanted was your friendship, and you spat in my face. It doesn't matter now, though; I found someone that will accept me._

_Whoever it is, leave him alone! You're not about to manipulate him._

_Try using your brain for once; I'm not manipulating anybody. He doesn't even know we're talking. So long; have fun with your adoring fans. _Laughing, the voice disappeared. Danny landed, giving the officers a furious look. "What do you want?" He demanded. "This better be important."

"It is." The officer replied. "Where were you at 1 AM last night?"

"That's none of your business." Since his mother's death, Danny had been much less tolerant of people who distrusted him than before. "Why do you want to know?"

"We've found traces of ectoplasm at the scene of each of the murders, Phantom. We'd like a sample of your ecto-signature."

"So you think I'm responsible for this? Go to hell; when I find whoever's behind this, you'll be begging for forgiveness." He flew off before they could say anything else.

Once he got back to school, life settled down into its usual pace. The staff eventually let everyone go, since they were having no luck trying to teach anything. "It looks like everyone's taking this hard." Jazz remarked. "Danny, I saw the police talking to you earlier. What was all that about?"

"They think I'm responsible for all this." Danny replied angrily. "I'm trying to stop whatever it is out there."

"Hey, Jasmine." Derek arrived, kissing her. He smirked at Danny, knowing how much he hated his presence. "So what are you guys doing here?"

"They let us out early." Tucker explained. "Even Mr. Lancer had no luck teaching anything."

"Danny, don't forget where we're going this afternoon." Sam reminded. "You promised me you'd go to the protest." It took everything Danny had not to groan. He said he'd go with her to protect the opening of a new mall in Amity Park. Danny had no idea what it was even about, but he didn't want to support her.

"I feel sorry for you, man." Tucker shook his head.

"Excuse me for a minute." Derek asked. He walked for a few seconds and started laughing hysterically. This continued for about 30 seconds until Danny and Sam were red in the face. "Okay, continue."

"Danny, can I talk to you for a minute?" Jazz asked her brother. "Alone." He nodded and they walked off until she was sure that they wouldn't be overheard.

"Now what is it, Jazz?" Danny asked in a concerned tone. She lifted her shirt a few inches, which showed an ugly cut on her stomach. There was dried blood all around it, and a few signs of an infection. "I'm going to kill him!"

"Danny, wait!" she protested. "It wasn't him. Just let me explain!"

"I don't want you making excuses for him; he's a dead man!" Jazz grabbed him by the shoulder. He anrgily ripped it off, intending to tear her boyfriend limb from limb. He refused to listen to her; the fact that she might have another explanation never entered his mind. The instant he saw Derek, he punched him across the face, sending him to the ground.

"Danny, what are you doing?" Sam wondered. "I know he makes fun of us, but he doesn't deserve this."

"The hell he doesn't!" Danny screamed, jumping on top of him. To his surprise, though, Derek was able to throw him off quite easily. He groaned in pain as Derek grabbed his wrists, squeezing tightly.

"What are you doing this for?" Derek snarled. "Why am I not surprised? You've never wanted me around, have you? You can't stand the fact that I do like your sister, in spite of what your pathetic mind believes. I don't have much happiness in my life, boy, and if you interfere, you will regret it." His voice was darker than Danny had ever remembered it.

"Jeez, just calm down!" Tucker protested. Derek let go, still glaring furiously. "Now what exactly is going on here?"

"This son of a bitch has been beating my sister!" He screamed. Sam and Tucker looked shocked, not knowing what to make of anything.

"Danny, just shut up and listen!" Jazz demanded, harsher than she normally was. "I got that in my dream. Some maniac was chasing after me. It's hard to describe him."

"Does he have knives for fingers?" Derek asked, and she nodded. "I've seen him too."

"Bullshit!" Danny yelled. "Listen to me, boy: come near my sister again, and I'll kill you. I'm not joking around; I mean it." Derek glared hatefully at him and left. He turned to Sam. "Did you bring your cell phone? I'm calling the police!"

"Okay, what is going on here?" Valerie asked them. "I just saw Derek leave in a huff, and… what are you doing?"

"I'm kind of confused, but apparently Jazz has some nasty cut on her stomach and…"

"I can guess what Danny's thinking, all right." Valerie nodded. "Jazz, did this guy have knives for fingers?" She nodded. "I've seen him in my dreams, too." She rolled up her sleeve, where there was a blister. "He burned me in some kind of boiler room.

"Well, it looks like I've been a complete idiot." Danny scratched.

"Gee, you don't say." Derek replied angrily. "Don't bother apologizing; you don't mean a word of it. You've been begging for an excuse, and you believed what you wanted to. Piss off!" He stomped away.

"Derek, wait!" Jazz exclaimed. "Danny's a good person; just give him a chance." Derek didn't even acknowledge her.

"That's cold, dude." Tucker sighed. "Jazz likes him, even if you don't." Danny walked off, not wanting to listen. Privately, he felt he was right, but he wasn't about to admit as much.

He continued walking around, not knowing what to do about Derek or this dream killer. _I'll deal with the killer first; that's probably going to be easier. These are times where I wish I was an ordinary teenager. Still, I wonder if there's any information about this guy. _

Eventually, he wandered home, where he found Jack sitting on the couch. "Son, I need to talk to you." He declared. "This is something I should have done a long time ago."

"If it's The Talk, don't worry about it." Danny replied. "I don't want to hear that from you; the last time traumatized me for a week."

"Danny, I'm being serious." Jack said quietly. "It's about everything that's been going on. I know who's responsible for this."

Whatever Danny expected, it wasn't that. It was several seconds before he was able to say anything. "Who… what is it?"

"His name is Freddy Krueger. When he was alive, he was responsible for over 20 children murdered in Springwood, Ohio. He was known as the Springfield Slasher."

"So why is he killing people in dreams?"

"I'm getting to that. When he was finally caught, he was let go because of some technicality. I think the search warrant was signed incorrectly, but it doesn't really matter. Afterwards, all the parents went to his house and burned him alive inside the boiler room where he took his kids."

"So now he wants revenge on them, and killing their children is the perfect way to do it. Wait… how do you know all this?"

"When Me, your mother, and Vlad were about 18, it started happening again. A teenage girl was butchered after sleeping with her boyfriend. Horror movie cliché, I know, but that's how it went. At first, V-man was blamed for it, but then… Vlad was attacked and would have been killed if we had not gotten there in time.

"A girl named Nancy Thompson came up with an idea. She and Vlad went into their dreams in order to draw him out. When he showed up, I suppose that they managed to drag him into the real world. We fought as best we could, but Rod was killed and the rest of us were almost finished.

"Vlad stood alone until Nancy set him on fire. He was weakened, but still managed to kill Nancy's mother. I don't remember anything after that, but Vlad and Nancy found a way to beat him… or so we thought. It's why we started this supernatural research in the first place."

"Wow, that certainly explains a lot, but why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Because about 6 years later, he came back and stronger than before; me and Maddie weren't involved, but Vlad apparently was. He killed several more children before they finally managed to defeat him again, at the cost of Nancy's life. All these years, and it stills weighs on me. Most likely, the only reason Vladdie survived was because of his abilities, though I can't be sure. It was the only time between college and the reunion that he willingly talked to me."

"Dad, this is all the more reason to stop him. We can't let him get away with all this."

"There's a reason I'm mentioning this to you now. I haven't heard from V-man for over a month. He said he wouldn't come around often, due to something he had to take care of, but I think something's happened to him.; One more thing."

"What is it, Dad?"

"I want you to promise me not to go after him. You don't understand just how dangerous this thing is. I can't lose you too." Jack started crying, which Danny had almost never seem him do.

"You're going to need my help, Dad, if he's even half as dangerous as you say he is."

"Promise me!" He grabbed Danny by the shoulders. "I know I'm not the best parent, I haven't always been there for you, but promise me that you won't go after him? Promise me!"

"Okay, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that. If anyone's going to fight him, it should be me. He killed my friends, and I know him better than anyone, so I will confront him. Danny, would you mind helping me improve the defenses?"

Numbly, Danny followed. He still had a hard time believing what his dad had just said. He, Vlad, and Mom had fought him as kids? He had faced plenty of dangerous ghosts, sure, but he had ghost powers so he could fight them on equal terms. _No wonder Dad's so frightened. Even so, I might have to break my promise if this keeps up. _

For the next few hours, Jack, Danny, and Umbra improved and recharged every defense in Fenton Works. Jazz came home, and wondered what they were doing. Danny just promised to explain later; she decided to help as best she could, even though she didn't know what was going on. Jack grabbed the Fenton Peeler, Specter Deflector, and Ghost Gauntlets.

Time passed quickly. Jack took sleeping pills, and fell on the couch, still clutching the weapons. Danny stayed in the chair, watching him for any signs. He made a quick check to make sure all the weapons were working and watched his Dad.

Unfortunately, his self-discipline had limits and he began to doze off. He gasped as he realized what he had almost done. Danny looked around, and realized that his dad had disappeared. Danny transformed into Phantom and charged ecto-blasts, ready to fight whatever came his way.

"What is going on here?" Umbra asked at Danny's worried face. "I fell asleep and the next thing I know…" Before he could finish, a portal opened up, sucking them inside it. They landed on one of the main streets, but everything was quiet.

"I've never seen this place before." Danny stated, looking around. "Come on, we better find out what's going on… and DON'T wander off."

So how was that for a first chapter? Remember, the review button is there waiting to be clicked. Let me know how it was.


	2. Dreamworld Showdown

Okay, what else is there to say

Okay, what else is there to say? I'm trying to get as many chapters completed as possible while the inspiration lasts. Truthfully, I should be studying for my Anatomy test on Monday, but this is a lot more fun. Still, I'll have to do at least some work, so forgive me if updates are less frequent than usual.

Yes, my OC character is here. He's not going to play a huge role, so no complaining. I don't see why you would; it's not a Mary Sue or anything.

Jazz looked at her surroundings. It didn't look like anywhere she had ever been before. "This doesn't look like Amity; it's too small." She said to herself. An even stranger part was that nobody was around. There were no cars, no people, and no signs of life whatsoever.

She continued walking down the street, hoping to find someone that would tell her where this was. A street sign appeared in front of her, saying " Elm Street ". Jazz heard dark laughter, but considered it her imagination. _Oh, no, I must be dreaming, which means… he's around here somewhere. _

"Help me, please!" She heard a voice exclaim. After a few seconds, she realized that it came from one of the houses. Jazz felt conflicted; she knew this was dangerous, but couldn't just leave whoever it was in trouble. Cautiously, she approached the house.

From first glance, it appeared utterly ordinary until she realized that nobody was inside it. "I wish I had something to defend myself." she muttered to herself. "This is the one time having Desiree around would be useful."

"Jazz, help me!" Danny yelled, collapsing to his knees. He was covered in blood and gasping for breath.

"Danny, hold on!" she replied urgently, looking for something to help him. Jazz hugged him gently. "We'll get through this, little bro."

"Not a chance, bitch!" A voice laughed. Someone appeared beside her. He was badly burned with razors on his right hand, and wore a striped sweater. He snapped his fingers and Danny disappeared. "Children are always so easy to trick."

She jumped behind the couch, ready to move at a moment's notice. "One, two, Freddy's coming for you…" Jazz saw two girls playing jump rope. "three, four, better lock your door…. five six, grab your crucifix…. seven eight, better stay up late…. nine, ten, never sleep again."

"You should have listened, girl." Krueger chuckled. "Now you're one of Freddy's children." He leaped towards her, throwing the couch out of the way. Jazz ran as fast as she could, desperate to get away. She ran down the stairs and into a boiler room. Krueger appeared in front of her, slashing her face.

Jazz kicked him in the stomach, hoping to stun him, but he didn't even flinch. She stepped backward, landing on the furnace. She screamed while Krueger laughed. "You look familiar, girl." He grinned. "Wait a minute; you're the spawn of that whore and idiot that beat me 23 years ago. This changes everything." Jazz was tied to the furnace by rusty handcuffs.

Krueger cut her stomach, reopening her old wound. Jazz was now in a state of panic, trying to get free, but the cuffs wouldn't budge.

He cut her face several times and her right leg all the way down to the bone. "Don't worry; your family will soon be joining you." He laughed.

XXXXXX

"Well, this doesn't exactly look pretty." Derek groaned. Danny, Jack, and Umbra were beside him, and quickly getting tired of his complaining.

"Let's just find Jazz, all right?" Danny intervened. He and Derek looked at each other and said that while their conflict was overlooked, it was not forgotten.

"That's probably a good idea." Umbra added. "I never imagined this kind of world could be real. Sigh… killing children disgusts me; The Yaujta punish this by death."

"Keep a sharp eye out." Jack warned. "We don't know what Krueger can do, but I've got a good guess. He can disguise himself as anything he wants, so keep that in mind."

_You'd better accept the permanent bond, or we won't have a chance against this thing. _The symbiote advised. _I know you've been hesitant, but what other option do we have?_

_Okay, okay, I accept. How long will this take? _Derek replied.

_A few hours to a day. Just remember what I told you about the dream world. Your abilities are limited only by your mind._

_Thanks, Morpheus._

_No joking around; this is a serious situation._

They heard a scream in the distance, which obviously belonged to Jazz. "Come on, we've got to save her!" Jack exclaimed, running towards the voice. Danny transformed into Phantom and followed closely behind. Umbra and Derek did their best to keep up, but quickly faltered.

"You need to get in better shape." Umbra remarked to a panting Derek.

"Stop lecturing me, please; I'm working on it." Derek said, trying to concentrate on his abilities. He eventually managed to retrieve some energy, but he kept his pace to a slow jog. "Besides, I would rather not walk into a trap."

"I hope you can see in this place better than I can. There's heat everywhere, so my vision is almost useless."

"Derek… Derek." Jazz called, appearing in front of him. "I'm so glad to see you.'

'How did you escape from Krueger?" Derek wondered, immediately suspicious.

"Let's not talk about that right now." Jazz smiled. "Let's talk about something more… fun." Next thing Derek knew, she was wearing no clothes. Derek fought against his emotions, staring at her. He shook himself, trying to come to his senses.

"If you're Jasmine, answer me this: what is your favorite movie?" He knew it was a lame question, but it was all he could think of at the spur of the moment.

"To Kill a Mockingbird, silly!" Derek smiled and waved her forward. Umbra tried to whisper a warning, but he wasn't listening.

"Derek, that's not her, it's…" But his warning was useless as Derek delivered a roundhouse kick to her jaw. Krueger immediately formed, his disguise broken.

"I knew it was you, Krueger." Derek laughed. "Jasmine's never even seen that movie; you'll have to do better than that!" Krueger snapped his fingers and they found themselves in the boiler room. Jazz was chained to the furnace, bleeding profusely.

"Derek, get out of here; it's a trap!" she screamed, but a cloth gagged her. Umbra looked around and noticed that all the exits were sealed.

"We're in trouble." He muttered.

"Once I finish you, the others will fall to my blades as well." Krueger bragged. He approached slowly, enjoying the fear in their eyes.

"Umbra, try to free Jasmine." Derek ordered, not taking his eyes off Krueger. "This guy is mine." He got into a fighting stance and waited for Krueger to attack. He didn't have to wait long as he charged, swinging his blades. To his surprise, Derek leaped over them in slow motion and landed behind him. He used Freddy's momentary surprise to land several punches on his torso, knocking him back. _Yeah, this definitely reminds me of the Matrix. Still, I don't think I can hold him off for long. I hope Danny gets here soon, much as I hate to say it._

"That was pathetic; can't you do better?" Freddy laughed. "But since you want to play…" Over a dozen copies of them surrounded Derek. He swung out, but the one he hit was merely an illusion. He felt a sharp pain in his stomach as Krueger kicked him. He was repeatedly hit in the face and stomach, falling to the ground.

However, Derek got to his feet and managed to duck beneath another blow. He punched Freddy several times, and grabbed his right hand before he could use his blades. It took everything he had to hold on, but he was determined. Unfortunately, Krueger broke free and tried stabbing him. He managed to avoid a direct blow, but Derek was caught in the shoulder, wincing in pain. "I'm curious: do you have some obsession with cross-dressing?" he grinned, hoping to catch him off guard. "Or is it just the fact that you're repressing your homosexuality?" In all honesty, he was quite tolerant, but it caused Krueger to lose his concentration, which was the point of the exercise. Derek pulled himself free and actually walked on his chest, delivering a powerful kick to the neck. It actually sent him flying through the air and into a wall.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you, boy." Krueger snarled, now truly furious. He charged towards him, swinging his glove. Derek was cut on the leg, making it difficult to stand. One of his blows sent Derek to the wall, returning the favor. Krueger moved forward, intending to finish the fight, but his opponent buried his feet in his gut, giving him time to get back on his feet.

"You're a coward, Krueger!" Jazz screamed, trying to divert his attention, but he wasn't going to fall for it again. Derek threw more punches, which were deflected, but then Krueger buried his blades into his stomach. He grabbed his right arm which prevented the blades from going deep enough to kill, but they still penetrated over 2 inches.

"Good-bye, child!" He laughed, enjoying Derek's screams. He threw him onto the ground, seeing him curl up into a ball. Krueger approached, only to see Jazz free and Umbra ready to fight. "Oh, please, this is going to be easy." Umbra unsheathed his blades, charging forward. The two duels throughout the boiler room.

Jazz saw Derek getting up, and his wounds sealing. Umbra was thrown back, but Krueger was surprised to see him still alive. Derek beckoned him forward with a smirk on his face. Instead of attacking, Krueger grabbed Jazz and put a blade on her neck. "Make a single move and I slice your girlfriend's throat." He smirked. "Or maybe I can make her choke on her own blood."

"Let her go, asshole!" Derek demanded, moving forward, but Umbra grabbed his shoulder. "Come on; can't you fight me like a man?" Jazz forced herself to push through the pain and kicked Krueger in the face, loosening his grip.

"Wow, I didn't know I could do that." She stated in surprise. "Sigh, I hate playing the damsel in distress." Derek and Umbra ignored her, approaching Krueger from either side. Krueger's grabbed Derek's wrist, intending to break it, but he twisted around in the same direction and headbutted Krueger.

Umbra stabbed him through the chest, causing a huge hole. Derek jumped several feet a repeatedly kicked him anywhere he could. Angrily, Krueger grabbed his leg and threw him into the wall. Before he could move, though, Umbra stabbed him several times. "You're going to lose this fight." Umbra promised, grappling with him, but found himself being forced back. "You're a human; how can you be so strong?"

"The souls of the children," Freddy laughed. He ripped off his shirt, and Umbra was shocked to see several screaming faces, all trying to get free. He took the opportunity and stabbed Umbra through the chest. It wasn't quite a lethal blow, but it took him out of the fight.

He turned to Derek, who had gotten up yet again and was ready to fight. "You're a dead man!" They heard someone exclaim. Jack and Danny had finally found them, and were looking furiously at Krueger.

"Hell, no; this guy is mine." Derek snarled, jumping onto Krueger. Due to his rage, he had not calculated it well, and he missed his target and landed on the floor, grabbing his ankle in pain.

"Okay, very impressive." Danny rolled his eyes. "Now it's my turn." He fired several ecto-blasts at Krueger, all of them hitting in the chest. Krueger laughed and approached Danny, grinning wickedly. Danny punched him across the jaw, and grabbed him by the leg, swinging him around.

"Please, don't make me laugh." Freddy chuckled, disappearing. He reappeared behind Danny in an attempt to stab him in the back, but Danny's shield prevented him from getting through.

"Don't worry; none of us are laughing." Jack stated grimly, standing in front of his son. "Danny, get Jazzy-pants out of here; he's too much for you to handle. Go!"

"What a touching little reunion." Krueger laughed. Jack charged forward, wielding the ghost gauntlets. He punched him repeatedly in the stomach, and grabbed Freddy's arm when he attempted to use his blades. Krueger was stronger than the last time they thought, though, and lifted him up. "You're nothing, idiot! You don't stand a chance against me!" Jack head-butted him, following with a kick to the groin. He managed to pull himself free, getting out the specter deflector. Danny launched icicles, freezing Krueger in place. Unfortunately, Jack soon found himself with a rope around his neck. "Let's see how long it takes for you to die."

"Back off, Freddy!" Danny demanded, launching a massive ecto-blast. Krueger wasn't able to dodge in time and it hit him full on. When the smoke cleared, there were several holes in his body, his sweater was almost completely destroyed, and he had lost his blades. To Danny's complete surprise, though, he waved his hands and all the wounds sealed as if they were never there.

"I am eternal, boy!" Krueger laughed. "I expected better from the great Danny Phantom." Danny fired more ecto-blasts, but they had little effect.

"We aren't done yet!" Derek exclaimed, limping towards him. He grabbed the rope Jack was gagging on and tried to loosen the knot, but was having little luck. Danny fired a small blast and cut it in half, but even then it did not stop choking. Only Jack's great strength and determination kept him alive. With Derek's help, he ripped the rope off his neck and faced Krueger.

"You don't stand a chance against all of us." Jazz glared at him. Unfortunately, she was not in any great condition, so her bravado was not worth much.

"This is your world, Jasmine!" Derek informed. "You can become anything you want to become!" While Jazz was figuring it out, Jack attacked Krueger with the Fenton Peeler. He screamed in pain, and tried to get out of his path, but could barely even move. Danny duplicated into 4 and they surrounded him, all firing ecto-blasts.

"Enough!" Krueger screamed, finally breaking free. "You're going to die slowly; you'll beg for death when I'm done with you!"

"Wrong, asshole!" Derek snarled. **"**_**We're going to tear you to pieces!" **_Danny flew above him, while the duplicates performed a flanking move. One flew around him in circles, unleashing a constant ray of energy. The other three were pounding Krueger as hard as they could. However, Krueger impaled one of the duplicates, destroying it.

"Keep hammering him!" Jack ordered, aiming the Fenton Peeler again. Krueger broke free of the Dannys and charged towards him, catching him in the side. "Come on, Freddy! Do your worst!"

"With pleasure," He grinned. He waved his hands and his wounds disappeared. "Any more tricks you want to try?" Jack punched him with the ghost gauntlets, glaring furiously. Krueger slashed his stomach, with blood pouring all over his jumpsuit.

"Yeah, I got a few." Danny exclaimed, firing ice blasts at his enemy and around the floor. Krueger sliced through the ice holding him prisoner, now tired of playing games. "Come on, Krueger! You wanted a fight, you got one!" He used a mixture of ice and ectoplasm against his foe, the sole goal being to hurt Krueger as much as possible.

To everyone's surprise, however, he flew up in the air and floated alongside Danny. "You really think you can beat me?" Freddy laughed. "I am immortal, boy!" Danny's duplicates hit him in the chest, knocking him back. Danny sped towards him, his fists outstretched. Krueger extended his glove, and although Danny realized what he was doing, he was going too fast to stop in time. Desperately, he turned intangible and while he was still hurt, he avoided most of the blow. He crashed into a wall, leaving several major cracks.

"Guys, wake up!" Jack exclaimed. "Hurry; you don't have much time!" He fired the Fenton Peeler again, striking Krueger. Danny recovered from the crash landing and recalled his duplicates, not wanting to waste any more of his energy.

"We aren't done yet!" Derek growled, kicking Krueger in the torso. Jack launched the Peeler again, missing by several inches. Danny fired shots with reckless abandon. Krueger responded in kind and the battle became a flash of blades and ectoplasm.

Derek and Umbra disappeared due to Jack launching the Peeler at its lowest level. He aimed up, but Krueger and Danny were moving too fast for Jack to him.

"No, get away from him!" Jazz screamed weakly. The area started shaking and a piece of ceiling fell on top of Krueger. "Wow, how did I do that?"

"Interesting; so you have the ability as well." Krueger mused. He didn't have time to do anything more as Danny grabbed his wrists and threw him against the boiler.

"You're finished, Krueger!" Danny got in front of his family and unleashed his ghostly wail. In spite of it, Krueger tried to advance, but could not withstand the sonic attack. The boiler soon collapsed and fell on him, flames soon covering his entire body. Jack, Danny, and Jazz soon went back to the dream world, since Krueger could not keep up his abilities.

Using all his remaining strength, he escaped from his trap, groaning in pain. "Damn boy… he'll die for this." He promised.

"Freddy, we're disappointed in you." One of the dream demons warned. "We told you to destroy the Phantom." The others circled around him, restoring his energy.

"I'll do it next time." He snarled, glaring at his masters. "I don't intend for anyone to slow me down."

"Good to hear; the boy is more powerful than expected." The second demon declared. "If he falls, your transformation will be complete."

"In the meantime, keep doing your work." The third demon ordered before they all disappeared.

He walked back to the dream version of his house, and went into his bedroom, where a girl was chained up. "Don't worry; you won't be calling any children today, Kristen." He grinned. "How does it feel, knowing that Thompson bitch couldn't save you?" She didn't answer, not that Freddy really expected her to. "I've got a new game for you, piggy."

XXXXXX

"Makes me glad we got out of that." Danny groaned, along with Jack, who were currently treating Umbra's wounds. Jazz was hurt as well, but hers were not likely to be fatal now that they stopped the bleeding.

"He's a lot stronger than he was last time." Jack admitted. "I truly wish I didn't have to say this, but I'm probably going to need your help in this fight. Just don't take any unnecessary chances."

"Dad, we know." Jazz groaned. "I hope Derek's all right. You sure we shouldn't go to a hospital?"

"Jazz, if they see these wounds, what are they going to think?" Danny explained. "More than likely, they'll believe Dad was responsible and we can't have that."

"Okay, I see your point." Jazz conceded. "So how are we going to stop this thing?"

"Hmm, the Fenton Peeler was effective, but it couldn't hold enough power." Jack mused, half forgetting they were there. "Perhaps I could build a larger battery and maybe make the gun more powerful. It ought to do something against Krueger."

"You know, Dad, I don't think I've ever seen you this angry." Danny remarked.

"I have a right to be, son." Jack replied. "I never thought I'd have to fight this thing again. We were only 18 years old when we fought Krueger the first time, and none of us have your powers. And you think this is bad? V-man hates him more than I do...assuming he's still alive. He killed his parents and even Nancy. It was a real shame; they became pretty close, especially after his accident."

"Who are you talking about?" Jazz wondered.

"Nancy Thompson; one of the people who helped us defeat Krueger." Jack informed. "She died when Krueger came back six years later. I just wish Vlad asked for our help; in spite of hard feelings, we would have came."

_But I'll bet he didn't want you to come. _Danny thought. _Considering how angry he was then, I doubt it even crossed his mind. _He felt a whole new kind of sympathy for Vlad. If he had to face something like this when he was only a little older than Danny was now (16, in my story) and without any ghost powers, it must have been hard on him, especially when he had to watch people die.

"Try to forgive your old man, Danny." Jack sighed. "This isn't easy to deal with. Okay, I've done the best I can with him. Jazz, lay down; we have to make sure those wounds don't get infected." Danny left, still thinking about all the recent events.

One thing was obvious: They were going to have a hell of a time defeating Krueger. "At least I know the ghostly wail works on him." Danny muttered. "Maybe I should go to the ghost zone, and see what the others know about him. More information certainly couldn't hurt in this fight." He transformed into Phantom and flew through the portal, ignoring Jack's orders to come back.

Danny had much less trouble from ghosts than he had expected. His powers had grown

considerably over the last two years and not many ghosts wanted to quarrel with him now. "Can't you give us some privacy, ghost punk?" Johnny 13 complained, with his girlfriend Kitty in his lap.

"I'm not looking for a fight." Danny groaned; he was hoping to avoid trouble for once. "Since I'm here, though, I have a few questions."

"Fine, but make it quick." Kitty snapped. "I was having a wonderful time with Johnny.

_Well, that's pretty obvious. _Aloud, Danny asked: "What do you know about Freddy Krueger?" Based on the fear they showed in their expressions, they had obviously heard of him.

"Why do you want to know, punk?" Johnny 13 asked, but it lacked the anger he had previously.

"Because he's in Amity Park, and has already killed about 20 people." Danny explained, and they became more frightened yet. "Any information you have would be helpful against him."

"Stay away from him!" Kitty exclaimed, actually looking concerned. "You can't kill Freddy; it's impossible! You'll only get yourself killed!"

"He's already after me, and he attacked my sister, so I can't leave him alone." Danny sighed. "This is something I have to do."

"All right, all right, I'll tell you, for all the good it'll do." Johnny 13 shook his head. Long story short: he killed over 20 children when he was alive, and after the parents killed him in revenge, he came back from beyond the grave and started killing their children in dreams. Rumor has it that he made some kind of pact with dream demons, but I don't know anything more than that or even if it's true. Sorry, kid. I never got along with you, but I never wished something like this to happen."

"What are you talking about?" Danny demanded.

"He doesn't just kill them; he takes their souls." Kitty warned. "The more he kills, the stronger he gets. Not to mention the fact that he usually tortures his victims. So long, Phantom! You won't see us in Amity Park again." They hopped on Johnny's motorcycle and flew off.

"Great, what did I get myself into?" Danny moaned. However, he decided to see if anyone else could tell him more.

XXXXXX

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Vlad asked, flying up to avoid a Cerberus. The dream demons trapped them in a nightmare they controlled. "We won't get another chance at this."

"What other option do we have?" Nancy wondered, grabbing another demon by the throat. "We can't hold these guys off forever."

"Okay, I've adjusted my staff as best I can." Clockwork explained. "Now this won't take us directly out of here, but it's a step in the right direction. Just be careful."

"Yes, we get the idea." Nancy cried out as she was thrown into Vlad.

"Are you all right?" Vlad smiled, putting a shield around them. He suddenly turned grim. "I'm going to destroy Krueger once and for all; I don't care what it takes to do it."

"I'll be right beside you. I owe him as much as you do." Nancy agreed.

"Just give me a few more seconds." Clockwork requested. Vlad created two duplicates that flanked him, shooting in all directions. Nancy, unfortunately, was wearing down quickly. The creatures attacked more cautiously than before, but bit by bit they were being forced back.

"All right, hold on!" Clockwork exclaimed, cutting a demon in half. Vlad and Nancy grabbed onto the staff, and disappeared. They looked around and their surroundings were quite similar, except for the fact that there were no creatures attacking them.

"Okay, where are we?" Vlad groaned. "Please tell me you got this right."

"I know where we are." Nancy realized. "We're in Krueger's world."

"Crud, I was hoping we wouldn't have to do this again." Vlad sighed. "Looks like very little has changed. All right, let's look around, and stay together." _I hope Daniel has not met this thing. He is capable, but he doesn't understand how dangerous Krueger really is.\_

Sorry that it took longer than I thought, but I did pretty badly on my Anatomy test, and wasn't really up to writing much.


	3. Information

Well, things haven't been going well. I got an 8 on my last anatomy test, so I've been kind of depressed. However, I'm forcing myself to keep writing.

Vlad, Nancy, and Clockwork advanced through cautiously. "Okay, I thought his boiler room was scary." Nancy stated. "That's got nothing on this place." The best was to describe it was a graveyard. Several bodies hung on the walls, all of whom had at least 1 severed limb. They were young children, no older than 7 years old, and had been gruesomely tortured.

"You've got a point; at least there we didn't see them." Vlad replied, leading the way. "I bet he keeps him there as trophies." He stopped suddenly and gasped.

"What is it, Vlad?" Clockwork asked worriedly.

"My parents… they're up there." Vlad managed to gasp out. His parents hung on ropes, in several different pieces. Dried blood surrounded the bodies and the floor beneath. Vlad had suspected all along that Krueger killed his parents, but actually seeing it only enraged him more.

"Vlad, try to ignore it if you can." Nancy suggested. Had she been human, she would have thrown up. As they continued, the blood on the walls gradually faded, to be replaced by seemingly mundane objects. "Oh, no, those are Glen's earphones!"

"This may be where he puts the rest of his prizes." Clockwork gulped. "We must be getting close. Jeez, how many trophies does one guy need?" Slowly, they advanced through the corridor, ready to move at a moment's notice. A dim light showed up, and glowed as they moved closer.

"Sorry, piggy, I'm still here." Krueger chuckled. Vlad approached silently, eventually identifying the person Krueger was near as Kristen. She barely moved, weary struggling against her bonds. "You know what that means." He ripped off her dress and grinned at her naked body.

"Kristen, no." Nancy whispered. She moved forward, but was held back by Vlad.

"We've got to do this correctly; we'll never get a better chance." Vlad replied, although he was sorely tempted to charge right in. He created two duplicates that flew to the left and right. Once he did so, he saw what Kristen was truly enduring. Her lips were literally sown together and her private area was severely ravaged. All three Vlads charged energy in their hands and waited for a clear shot. _This must be how Freddy's killing the children even though they have no connection to Springwood._

However, Nancy could not watch anymore and charged straight at him, knocking him aside. She punched and shot him repeatedly, but he was quickly recovering from his surprise and managed to escape her grip. "Good to see an old friend." He laughed. "Remember her, Kristen? The woman you thought saved your life and sacrificed herself for you?"

"Remember me, asshole?" Vlad snarled, launching his shot. All three hit their mark, trapping Krueger. He screamed in agony, and tried to move. However, Vlad conjured a third duplicate that held him in place. Nancy joined the firefight and added her own energy. "You're a dead man!"

"Never!" Krueger snarled, using his remaining strength to break away. There were injuries all over him, and they didn't heal as quickly as before. Clockwork swung his scythe, catching Freddy by the femur and removing the leg.

"You'll pay for what you've done, Krueger!" Nancy exclaimed, only to be held back by Vlad of all people.

"Krueger is mine," he hissed dangerously, delivering an uppercut to his enemy. One Vlad grabbed him by the legs and launched a ghost stinger, while another cut into his chest with an ectoplasmic axe. The remaining two fired token shots to keep him distracted and off-balance. Nancy refused to let Vlad fight alone and kicked him in the eye. Clockwork floated near them, watching the battle with an unreadable expression.

Krueger fought as best he could, but he was already badly drained from his fight with Danny Phantom and the others, so his injuries did not fully heal. He grabbed one of the Vlad and stabbed it through the throat, forcing the duplicate to vanish. Nancy tackled him, spinning him around. The remaining Vlads fired eye blasts, slamming him into the wall.

"I thought you were a dangerous enemy." Vlad laughed mockingly, recalling his duplicates. "It looks like you're not so good when you're not fighting kids. You always were a coward."

"And you're just a pathetic teenager, even now!" Freddy snarled back, trying to get up. "I knew you liked that woman… Maddie, was it? How does it feel to lose her to an idiot? Oh, wait, she's dead! What a shame; I always thought she had a nice body. Those perfect lips, long legs…" He was cut off as Vlad sent ecto-lightning into his body, sending him into convulsions. "A bit touchy, aren't we? I see you're upset that you didn't make to steal her innocence, but her dad beat you to the punch. I wonder why he desired her; was it physical, the power he had over her…the same motivations you had."

"Be quiet!" Vlad yelled furiously, making Nancy and Clockwork take a step back. They had never seen him this furious, even when he learned his parents were dead. "Don't ever talk about her that way!" He remembered when they were kids, when he and Jack had to save Maddie from her father. Fortunately, Alicia was already out of the house, though it had screwed her up badly. _I barely got out of there alive, and I'm not about to have this SOB insult her memory! _However, Krueger used the distraction and disappeared. Vlad looked around, eager to rip him apart. He caught a brief glimpse and charged straight towards it, hands and eyes glowing with power.

Krueger appeared and slashed Vlad across the back, but due to his rage, it barely registered. Nancy and Clockwork moved out of the way as the two fought, Vlad quickly gaining the upper hand. Nancy saw to Kristen, who cringed at the sight of her.

"We'll get you out of here, okay?" Nancy smiled sadly. She removed her restraints and managed to put her clothes back on. Kristen fought her once she felt Nancy's touch, trying desperately to get away. "You're okay, you're okay. Nobody's going to hurt you anymore." Nancy cried at the sight of her old friend, who had been locked up so long that she saw everyone as an enemy. She only vaguely heard the sounds of battle above her.

"Nancy, don't touch her; she's been traumatized." Clockwork advised gently, and she backed away. Years of fighting Krueger had pushed her medical training to the back of her mind, but it started to come back to her. "It'll take a long time; just be patient with her."

Before Nancy could reply, Krueger fell near her, barely able to move. Vlad floated above him, grinning in victory. He shot off the arm with his knives and had a death grip on his neck. Krueger struggled and kicked, but Vlad did not loosen his grip. "I want you know: I'm going to enjoy this." He launched a huge blast into his body, slowly vaporizing him. Krueger yelled in agony as his body faded away, until nothing was left but a glowing pile of ash. "It's over." Vlad turned human and collapsed to his knees from emotional exhaustion.

"No, it's not." Clockwork shook his head. "Haven't you wondered how he came back before, how he managed to return?"

"I had other things on my mind, like keeping him away from the rest of the kids." Nancy admitted.

"There has been a legend I've heard of." Vlad thought out loud. "Something about dream demons, and giving someone the power to become immortal… I didn't think it was true, though."

"I'm afraid it is." Clockwork sighed. "As long as the dream demons are on his side, he cannot be destroyed, although you did buy us some time." As if on cue, they appeared back in Clockwork's together, with a pair of angry Observants glaring at them.

"Clockwork, what exactly is going on?" The first asked. "We attempted to enter earlier, but were unable to gain access?"

"And why is a human here?" The second demanded.

"We don't have time for you idiots!" Vlad snarled, trying to see to Kristen. He bound her legs and hands, but eventually had to knock her unconscious in order to treat her wounds. "Suffice it to say, we've got a new problem on our hands, so stay out of it and don't screw it up further!"

"How dare you?" The second Observant replied furiously. "We are the protectors of the ghost zone, a barrier against potential threats."

"Apparently, Freddy Krueger has returned." Clockwork explained, turning into a child. "We have defeated him, which is why you are now able to access my home, but this is not over."

"How is this possible?" The first Observant stammered out. "He was destroyed years ago!"

"No, I trapped him along with myself into a hole in the ghost zone." Nancy cut in. "He managed to escape, despite Vlad's assistance."

"Ah, that explains it." The second nodded. "You will answer for us, Plasmius!"

"What are you talking about?" Vlad demanded, holding back from attacking by a thin margin.

"No doubt you have released him for your own purposes." The first said harshly, condemning him.

"Shut up; Vlad's not like that." Nancy defended, flying up several feet and glaring at the pair.

"How little you know, girl." The second Observant sighed. "Plasmius has released Vortex, Voorhees, and accidentally unleashed Pariah Dark in his quest for power."

"Grow a brain, idiots!" Vlad snarled, his teeth showing. "I'm not responsible for this mess, I'm trying to help Daniel stop this maniac." He fired ecto-blasts, but the Observants had already disappeared.

"That's not going to do anything to convince them you're innocent." Clockwork warned, now in an adult form.

"I don't give a damn." He replied. "All I want right now to stop this guy."

"Vlad, what were they talking about?" Nancy asked. "They said you released Voorhees and Vortex, whoever they are."

"A lot happened after you died, and I kind of went nuts." Vlad replied. When Nancy made it clear she wanted more of an explanation, he went on. "Basically, the plan was to kill Jack, marry Maddie, and turn Daniel and Jasmine into my children. Obviously, it didn't exactly go well."

"I told you to let go of your hate! How could you possibly justify trying to ruin their happiness? They were your friends, and I thought you cared about them."

"After you died, I lost it, okay?! I was convinced that Jack had betrayed me, because he knew that I liked Maddie and got together with her anyway, and I invited them to my reunion. There I met Daniel, who turned out to be a ghost hybrid, like myself. Obviously, he refused to join me and blackmailed me into leaving them alone for a period of time. We fought several times, each one while I was guiding and teaching the boy, slowly turning him into my son. If I hadn't lost it, I may even have succeeded.

"As for Jack, I captured Voorhees and told him to kill Jack if he ever wanted to see his home again. He wasn't the only one that I recruited, but I was determined to bring him down. I didn't do it myself so nothing would have been traced back to me. Eventually, I decided to take over the world by saving them by an incoming asteroid, but the damned thing was made of ectoranium, and I couldn't touch it. Jack left me out there, probably because I bragged about making Maddie my queen… not my smartest move, I'll admit."

"Okay, what else?" Now she was glaring at Vlad with anger.

"Well, for some reason Clockwork decided to save me, and then I was thrown into a mess with Xenomorphs and Predators… no, I didn't cause it! Along the way, I did my best to make amends with Daniel and Jack; as well as Maddie, but she was killed by one of those things. Our relationship now… it's still strained and the temptation's always there, but I haven't actually acted on that impulse for some time now. There's a lot more to it, but we don't have the time. (And I didn't feel like taking up half the chapter explaining it)

"Okay… where is Voorhees? Please tell me he isn't on the loose."

"Last I checked, he was imprisoned in my life. I'm not sure right now, since the government has undoubtedly raided it for whatever they could find."

"All right, you owe me a full explanation." Nancy glared at him.

"Well, I hope you have a few hours, since that's about how long it'll take. Are you coming, Clockwork?"

"I'm afraid I can't; I must contain a deadly being from another future. I told you this several times, Vlad."

"Just what exactly is it?" They heard sounds coming from a battered thermos, along with a few new dents.

"It's better left unsaid; he is far stronger than Krueger can dream of becoming. Go, Danny will need your help."

"We can go to my lab if there's anything left of it." Vlad told Nancy, turning towards her and grabbing Kristen by the waist. "I'll explain on the way; come on!"

XXXXXXX

Danny flew through the ghost zone, trying to find information on his new enemy. Since Vlad had disappeared, he was on his own. It was kind of a shame, since the cheesehead knew how to find information, even though his methods were questionable at best. He had talked with a few ghosts, but upon hearing Krueger's name, they promptly fled. Danny was annoyed, but had a hard time blaming them, considering his recent battle.

It didn't take long for him to run into an unfamiliar area of the ghost zone. It was darker than what he was used to, and the ghosts were more menacing. Before he knew it, he ended up in someone's lair. As he took in his surroundings, a pair of red eyes glared at him.

"What are you doing here, ghost boy?" The voice demanded. "Haven't you done enough to me already?" The place brightened, revealing Nocturne and several of his sleepwalkers.

"I'm not looking for a fight." He glared, charging ice blasts at the sleepwalkers.

"Then why are you here? I know this is not a region of the ghost zone you and your friends explore."

"I'm actually looking for some information, and lost track of time. Do you know who Freddy Krueger is?"

Nocturne narrowed his eyes, but did not cringe like the others did. "I know of him; he is an insult for those of us with dream powers. True, I was attempting to gain power, but I made the dreams of humans pleasant, as you might remember."

"Yeah, I remember. Look, either tell me what you know or I'm leaving."

Nocturne sighed, rubbing his temples. "Look, he was a child murderer when he was alive. He killed around 20 children or so, some of whom are still in the ghost zone. Eventually, he was caught, but because some idiot didn't sign the warrant properly, he was freed. Afterwards, the parents took the law into their own hands and burned him alive. Somehow, he made a pact with the dream demons and became something far more dangerous."

"Dream demons? What are you talking about?"

"They are others with the power to control powers, but I am ashamed that they were once part of our group! They hunt down whoever they think will do the most harm to humans, and make them immortal. They are powerful, even more so than I am, and the most savage creatures you can imagine."

"I'm not so sure about that." Danny replied skeptically, thinking of his future self. "Is there any way to destroy him for good?"

"Until recently, I thought he was. The last I heard of him was around 15 years ago, when he was in the ghost zone and disappeared as abruptly as he came. I hoped that he was destroyed, but I seem to have been wrong."

"So how did he come back? I'm a little confused, dude."

"I am not entirely sure, but for the past weeks, I have felt his presence, which is getting increasingly malevolent. There are rumors, and I cannot confirm them, that one of his victims sacrificed herself to stop his reign of terror."

"Okay, so how do we destroy him for good? This information is useful, but I just barely beat this guy in the dream world, and I'm not looking forward to a second round."

"I am not entirely sure there is a way to permanently eliminate him. When he first appeared over 20 years ago, he was somehow defeated by a group of teenagers, though not without taking a few victims. He reappeared twice more until I thought he was destroyed for good."

"You have any idea who it was?"

"Actually, yes; I think you know him as Vlad Plasmius. His hatred of Krueger is legendary, and there has been endless speculation as to why. Afterwards, he became infamous in the ghost zone. There is one thing you must keep in mind at all times, Phantom."

"And what is that?"

"The more victims he claims, the more powerful he becomes. Already his strength has increased several times since his first appearance."

"Well, I've got to figure out a way to beat him. My dad, mom, and Vlad were part of the group that defeated this guy the first time. Unless we find a way to finish this, he will become too powerful to stop. Any ideas, since you're the master of dreams and all?"

"In dreams, you have abilities of your own, and once you learn how to use them, you will become a dream warrior. This is not a simple process, but given your considerable talent, I am certain you can manage it. When you do fight him, do not split up, or he will simply hunt you down one at a time."

"Reminds me of a bad horror movie,"

"Perhaps, but still true; I hope this information was helpful to you, Phantom. We may be enemies, but I would never condone Krueger's actions."

"You think we can destroy these dream demons?"

"By the gods, no! They are far more powerful than yourself, and stronger than Plasmius as well."

"Looks like I have my work cut out for me; I got to get back. Thanks for the help, Nocturne."

"Of course, Phantom. The ghost zone must be warned of this development, for if he destroys an ecto-entity, it will increase his power even more." Danny flew out of his lair, disturbed by the new information. _He's even more dangerous than I thought. How were my parents able to defeat them all those years ago?_

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice someone trailing him. Danny flew through the ghost portal, looking for his family. Jazz was on a computer, typing furiously. "Jazz, shouldn't you be taking care of yourself?" Danny asked.

"Hey, I found something that might help." Jazz replied. "It's a drug called hypnocil; it's supposed to be a dream suppressant. Course, It's not considered a safe drug to use, but compared to Krueger…"

"I still wish you two would stay out of this." Jack sighed. "I know you're extraordinary, but you're still kids. I'm the one who has to stop him, me and V-man."

"Yeah, that really went well." Danny rolled his eyes. "We're helping, whether you like it or not. Speaking of which, I ran into Nocturne and he told me some interesting tidbits. The more Krueger kills, the stronger he becomes."

"That would explain why he's become so strong." Jack said, more to himself than to Danny. "He was strong before, but then, he was able to kill only a few people before he was defeated. Now what do we do?"

"Jazz, you were able to pull us into our dream." Danny remarked. "How long have you had that ability?"

"As long as I can remember," Jazz admitted. "I never said anything because I didn't want anyone to think I was crazy, but whenever I had a scary dream, I dragged mom and dad in to make it better, and when you had a nightmare, I went inside your dreams. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but eventually I realized it was true."

"I wish you told me sooner, but we have other things to worry about." Danny informed. "Nocturne told me we have our own unique powers in the dream world, powers we can use to fight him. Jazz, I think you have to pull us in to do so." Before she could answer, the phone rang. Jack put it on speakerphone, since the area code was Vlad's.

"Are you there, Jack?" Vlad asked. "I know we still don't get along well, but I've learned some information about Krueger that might be useful."

"So have we." Jack replied. "We need to meet as soon as we can, since I'm still recovering from fighting that monster."

"Yes, well, I managed to destroy him." Vlad declared, and Danny could almost see the smirk on his face. "Still, that's only… HERSHEY BARS! Could you be more careful, please?"

"You're the one who won't sit still." A female voice remarked. "Try not to scream so loud; you're acting like a little kid."

"What, are you entertaining a young lady friend, fruit loop?" Danny chuckled.

"Yes, very funny, Daniel," Vlad retorted. "I managed to find my lab, and there are plenty of objects that the Guys in White missed when they raided the place. Apparently Krueger managed to get to the children because he kidnapped and tortured someone with the ability to bring them to him. OW!"

"Who is that with you?" Jack asked.

"Vlad, you might want to get over here." Jazz proclaimed. "We know how to block his powers!"

"Hypnocil, right?" Vlad wondered. "I thought as much. It's a short term solution, but can be very dangerous if taken for a long period of time. Okay, let's see… where did I put the ecto healing solution?"

"Why are you asking me?" the female stated. "This is your lab, not mine."

"Hey, that voice sounds familiar." Jack exclaimed. "Now where did I hear that before…It's on the tip of my tongue…Nancy Thompson!"

"How observant of you, Jack," Vlad laughed sarcastically. "Yes, she's with me, but as I told you before, she's a ghost. She's the one who stopped Krueger a long time ago when he attempted to come back. Oh, there it is. Stand back, this has a strong smell."

"I'm sorry, Nancy; I don't know what else to say." Jack shook his head sadly, fighting back tears.

"It's not your fault; I'd do it all over again if I had to." Nancy remarked determinedly, but Jack wasn't listening.

"If Maddie and I had come to Westin Hills when you told us, we could have helped you. You wouldn't have had to go through all this alone." Now he was openly crying. Danny and Jazz looked at each other, uncertain. They hardly ever saw Jack this way.

"If you want to blame someone, blame me." Vlad snapped. "I'm the one who refused to have anything to do with you; if I hadn't been stubborn and bitter, none of this would have happened!" He was obviously starting to get emotional as well.

_Wow, I never really knew anything about Vlad. _Danny thought. _I always assumed they met in college, but they knew each other beforehand. _He and Jazz decided to leave before the conversation got even more awkward. "We're going to have to meet tomorrow. I'll bring Tucker, Sam, and Valerie."

"I'm bringing Derek along as well, and I don't care what you have to say about it." Jazz added. "I know you don't like him, but we need everyone on this." Danny was about to say something, but realized that nothing was going to change her mood. Reluctantly, he agreed and lied down in his bed. "Good night, little brother." She kissed his cheek and went to her room, hoping Danny didn't see the evil smirk in her eyes.

XXXXXX

"That's about all I can do for her." Vlad took off his mask. Kristen was connected to monitors and IV's, with a steady flow of modified ectoplasm. "This really is great stuff. Her wounds will heal; the emotional trauma… I have no idea. You'd know better than I would."

"Thanks, Vlad." Nancy nodded. "I'm still kind of mad at you for what you've done, though."

"I'm still amazed you didn't cast me aside when I told you; I wouldn't have blamed you if you did."

"How could I do that? You're still my friend, Vlad, and you always will be." Nancy hugged him tightly. "I missed you, you know."

"Believe me, the feeling was quite mutual." Nancy was the only one he had bothered to keep in contact with after his accident, and the first one (besides him) to know about his ghost powers. "Even with our situation, it's good to be with old friends. _The longer I stay here, the stupider I consider myself for ever hating Jack. I had his friendship and I threw it away; I'm not about to make the same mistake twice. Watch out, Krueger; now that the group's together again, you're finished._

Okay, I hope to have the fourth chapter up in a week or two. I just wanted to give a bit more as to their background. I'm also thinking about putting up a one-shot, sort of like a "what if". So, should I write the one-shot or is it a stupid idea? The plotline: if one simple moment went differently. I'm not giving anything else away.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! There's a button a couple inches down I'd like you to click on… Please? Again, it's now an M story.


	4. Dream Warriors

"I can't believe you managed to talk me into this." Derek complained to his girlfriend.

_Just wait another day; the permanent bond will kick in._

_Good; I'm tired of dealing with Danny's shit. Still, my dream was pretty exciting. Shame it won't happen in real life._

_Are you sure? You might be surprised._

"Okay, I'm not sure how to do this whole hypnotism thing, so bear with me." Danny told the group. Tucker, Sam, Valerie, Jazz, and Derek were there, though he did his best to ignore the last one. "We're counting on you, Jazz."

"I still can't believe you can pull people into your dreams." Tucker smiled. "That sounds awesome!"

"I can't wait to see what my dream power is." Valerie chuckled, rubbing her hands in anticipation.

"Okay, nothing exists but the pendulum." Danny instructed, reading from "Hypnotism for Idiots". "You're getting tired, your eyes are closing… a long sleep sounds good right now. I'm going to count to 10, and when I finish, you will all be asleep." This was tried several times, until Danny groaned in frustration.

"Well, we can try again later." Sam stated, and then looked down. "Or maybe not; we're here!"

"Now this is just plain cool." Tucker laughed, covered in armor and a jet sled. "Beware the wrath of Friar Tuck!"

"What can you do in your dream, Jazz?" Danny asked.

"Wow, look at Derek." Valerie gasped, looking up several feet. He was currently floating in the air, wearing a dark trench coat and sunglasses. "I wonder what I can do." Valerie performed several backflips, and moved faster than any of them thought possible. She was dressed in a dark blue dress with knives by her side. "Cool, I'm a ninja!" She took out her knives and swung them around, throwing one at the wall. "I could get used to this." They heard a groan of pain, indicating that Derek flew into a wall.

"And I guess you're a vampire, Sam." Danny laughed, hugging her. "I probably shouldn't be surprised at that."

"Don't make me mad, Danny. I might decide to suck your blood." Sam pressed herself against Danny.

"I thought we were supposed to learn how to use these powers, not watch you two get intimate." Derek cut in. "Come on, Jasmine, you've got to have some kind of ability."

"Well, I'll give it a shot." Jazz shrugged, and before she knew a shield went around her. She turned invisible and when she reappeared again, it was in a sexy blck costume that left almost nothing to the imagination.

"Jazz, did you have to pick something so… revealing?" Danny groaned. Derek and Tucker were openly gaping at her, which meant that Tucker tripped over his own feet.

"Don't worry about it; it's an old cliché." Valerie pointed out. "So how exactly are we going to practice our powers?"

Sam transformed into a bat and flew off, Danny following behind her. "I guess you can call it freestyle." Derek stated. He raised his hand, and levitated Jazz towards him, catching her by the waist. He did a handstand and ultimately managed to balance on one hand.

"Who are you supposed to be, anyway?" Valerie asked.

"I'm Neo, obviously." Derek laughed. "Come on, do your worst!"

"Hey, guys, we found a training area." Sam said in bat form."Follow me!" They did so, going through corridors until they found their way into a dream version of Amity Park; specifically, the football stadium of Casper High. Sam turned back to her human form and smiled. "No one seems to be here, so we've got plenty of room."

"Okay, none of you go off alone." Danny ordered. "Krueger's still around, and I'm not sure how long it takes for him to recover. You guys split into teams." It ultimate turned out to be Tucker and Valerie, Sam and Danny, and Jazz and Derek.

"Just wait until Krueger comes near me." Valerie bragged. "I'm gonna give him a full can of whoop-ass." She swung her knives around in an attempt to look intimidating. Danny and Sam flew above the arena, deciding to watch the teams in action. Tucker fired several shots from his gun, which Derek managed to dodge Matrix-style.

"Don't push it too hard, guys." Danny warned. "We don't want anyone hurt… except you, Derek. Get injured as much as you like."

"Fuck you, Fenton." He retorted. "If you're so tough, get down here and fight me." He ignored the warning from the symbiote and beckoned him forward. Before anything happened, Sam disappeared and reappeared behind Derek, kicking him in the side of the head. "You want to dance? Fine!" He let out a flurry of punches that Sam was hard-pressed to block. Finally, one made contact with her stomach, and she fell to the ground.

"You'll pay for that." Danny hissed, going on the offensive. The others looked worried, but nobody wanted to get between the two. Jazz screamed at her boyfriend, while Sam was doing the same thing. Tucker and Valerie watched helplessly as the battle mounted. Tucker's eye widened, realizing that they wanted to have a go at each other.

"Is that your best?" Derek taunted as he continued to dodge Danny's attacks, ignoring the warning from his symbiote. He jumped up and aimed a kick of his face, but Danny grabbed his leg and twisted it around, smashing him into the dirt.

"I've had enough of you."Danny growled. "I can't understand why my sister likes you at all. You're worthless, you're nothing." _And I still think you're abusing her. Not all her injuries are from Krueger. _Derek stopped, a hurt and angry look in his eyes.

"Danny, stop!" Jazz yelled at him. "You're damaging his psychological well-being. You have any idea how hard it was for me to help him?" Danny floated above the ground, a confused look in his face. "He's a decent person; just give him a chance."

Before Danny could answer, Derek charged into him, slamming his head into a goal post. Danny put up a shield to give himself some breathing room, and then flew underground. He reappeared a few seconds later, punching his opponent savagely. Derek spat blood out of his mouth and got into a defensive position.

Sam and Tucker grabbed Danny by the arms, and Valerie and Jazz got in front of Derek. "Look, you guys should really work this out." Sam informed. "I was just trying to spar, but this… if this doesn't stop, you're going to kill each other."

"I hope I do kill him!" Danny screamed. Later, he realized that he sounded like his alternate self, but for the moment, he was too furious to think straight. "You'll pay for what you've done." The others looked at each other, wondering what he was referring to.

"I've dealt with people like you before." Derek spat back. "I'll never submit to your kind again, NEVER!" He jumped above the girls and kicked Danny in the gut, sending him back. Valerie backed away, since his eyes were now glowing red.

"You better get us out of here." Tucker sighed. "It looks like this was a bad idea!" They heard Derek scream in pain, clutching his wrist. Danny kicked him in the head, knocking him unconscious. Next thing they knew, they were back in Fenton Works. However, Jazz could have sworn she got a glimpse of Krueger, but disappeared before she could be sure.

"Okay, we know our powers, and hw to kill each other with them." Sam remarked dryly. "Let's not do this again soon."

"Danny, this isn't like you." Valerie told him sternly. "I want an explanation, and I want it now!"

"I'm not even talking to you right now." Jazz told him angrily. "I know you're my brother, that you're trying to protect me, but that's no excuse to go ballistic whenever you see him! We care about each other, and I don't understand why you think so little." She grabbed Derek by his good arm, as his wrist was obviously broken. He was still only half-conscious and went with Jazz in a daze.

"Well, come on, tell us." Tucker pressed.

"He's abusing my sister; I'm not going to let him touch her again." Danny replied, still furious but not screaming any more. He turned back into Fenton, and took a deep breath. _This bullshit doesn't work!_

"Danny, that was Krueger, remember." Valerie reminded. "We are facing an undead serial killer at the moment, if you've forgotten.

"Maybe, but I saw something else." Danny hissed. "My dad had to take her clothes off so we could look for injuries; kind of awkward, but we had bigger things to worry about. I saw several bruises on her side, one that looked a few days old. They weren't from Krueger; it was him."

"Danny, let's not jump to any conclusions." Sam warned. _He's been like this ever since Mrs. Fenton was killed. He probably doesn't want to lose anyone else. _"Look, if he is responsible, you need some concrete evidence."

"Just talk to her; Jazz wouldn't put up with that crap." Tucker reassured.

"I don't want to hear it." Danny snapped, storming out of the room. "That fucker is beating my sister, and I'm going to stop it!"

"Danny, wait!" Valerie cried, but he slammed the door in her face.

XXXXXXX

"Where am I?" Derek thought drowsily.

_You're unconscious; I'm tending to your injury. Danny broke half the bones in your wrist, so it'll be a while. _

"Damn it, why does someone always have to interfere with what little I have in my life?"

_He's jumping to conclusions. Danny thinks you are abusing Jasmine, probably because he wants to believe it._

"I'd never hurt her, and why does he think that, anyway?"

_Well, you did get a little carried away last week in your imagination. _Derek groaned; he was practicing Karate, pretending that he was the hero defending Jazz from thugs. However, as often happened, he lost his focus on anything else and when Jazz walked in… well, that should be obvious. _As long as your girlfriend doesn't think you hurt her, you're fine._

"But the rest of them will probably think I'm guilty; people always do. I'm tired of being alone, with only Alexis to defend me."

_You have me; we'll be able to defeat Danny Phantom soon enough. Just be more careful in the future. You were angrier with yourself than she was._

Derek remembered quite well. When he hit Jasmine, he forced his hands into boiling water. He had always hurt himself whenever he believed that he deserved it, which was a lot of the time. Before he met Jasmine, he was in even worse shape. "They'll all pay for what they did to me." Derek promised to himself. "Just wait and see."

_Don't focus all your energy on hate; you do have Jasmine, and your sister. As for the others… well, you are quite capable of defending yourself._

"I look forward to it."

XXXXXX

"Well, that's just perfect." Vlad groaned. "They got in here and released him." He looked at the ruins of the restraints. Almost all the weapons pointed in that direction were wrecked, and over a dozen GIW were dead.

"We've got other things to worry about now." Nancy reminded.

"Indeed we do." Fright Knight rumbled. He had been lying low until Vlad showed up again. He wasn't eager to fight Krueger, but obeyed his orders.

"You know, I'd like to meet Danny." Nancy pointed out. "He sounds like an interesting person."

"I'll see what I can arrange." Vlad nodded. "How's Kristen doing?"

"About as well as can be expected; I'm still the only one she'll allow near her, and even I can't touch her. We'd better get to Amity as soon as we can."

"I agree; Krueger must be stopped before this gets worse." Fright Knight nodded. "Have you any method of transportation? Flying will take too much time."

"It all depends on how thorough the government raided this place." Vlad responded. "I had a private jet nearby; let's see if it's still around. Nancy, take Kristen along. She needs more help than we can give her; Fright Knight, find any useable weapons and drag them along. I don't feel like taking chances."

As luck would have it, the jet was still there. Nancy put Kristen into one of the seats, while Vlad got in the pilot's seat. "Can you really fly this thing?" Nancy asked skeptically.

"Yes, actually, I can." Vlad replied. "Now just let me check everything. Okay, the engines are in working order; I'm a bit low on fuel, but it's enough to get us to Amity Park. We're good!" Vlad transformed into Plasmius and slowly dragged the jet outside. It was risky, using the dirt as a runway, but he wasn't in the mood for delay.

Once that was taken care of, Vlad started the plane. The going was slow and tedious, but he finally managed to bring it into the air. "Okay, it should be smooth sailing from here." He said to himself.

"Vlad, what if we are discovered here?" Fright Knight worried. "You are not well-liked by the humans."

Vlad hadn't thought of that. He pondered for a few seconds before answering. "It's a chance we'll have to take. Do you have any better suggestions?" When Fright Knight stayed silent, he smirked and turned the plane on auto-pilot. "I knew putting that in would come in handy."

"Well, Vlad, you've certainly come up in the world, even if your methods were rather… unethical." Nancy glared at him. She was doing her best not to think about what Vlad had become since her death. Ever since their reunion, the past 25 years didn't seem to matter, but it was always boiling just below the surface.

"I needed something to distract me." Vlad shrugged. "Building my fortune seemed as good as any. You know, I think you'll get along with Daniel. You two have a lot in common; both stubborn, independent, moral, hating me…"

"Vlad, I don't hate you!" Nancy exclaimed. "I'm just angry at you for trying to kill someone you once considered a friend! It's going to take me some time to fully forgive you. Sigh, I missed the old you."

"You're pretty much the only one." Vlad sighed. "I'll never be able to make up for what I've done, but what I can do, I will." _Course, I'll never be the hero Daniel is. I never understood how he could receive nothing but hatred and contempt, human or ghost, and still risk his life on a daily basis to help others. Those worthless fools don't deserve someone like him. If only you were my son, but I screwed that up completely. I can't blame you for hating me, Daniel; it's hard not to hate myself, looking back. _

"Vlad, are you paying attention?" Nancy asked.

"What, sorry; what did you say?"

"I asked why you have Danny's grades and a huge amount of personal information about him in your computer."

"I felt it would come in handy; ever since I learned about his abilities, I've kept a close eye on him, and quietly given him a hand from time to time."

"So he's called Danny Phantom? It's kind of interesting that you aren't the only one with ghost powers."

"Believe me, I was quite happy that there was finally someone who could understand the burden I carry. True, we were enemies, but as long as he was around, it was somewhat comforting."

"He sounds a lot like you when you were younger."

"True, but I was not much inclined to heroism at that age."

"Hey, you saved my life more than once. I don't think we could have beaten Krueger without you." _But I also saw the kind of hate you had even then. Have you really overcome it, or is it boiling just beneath the surface?_

"Yes, well, he's a lot stronger now. During our fight, I had the feeling he was already injured. I'm not sure, but I believe Daniel has already encountered him."

"He's about the age I was when Krueger appeared."

"Nancy, I'm so sorry. If I had been better, more intelligent, I could have saved you and you wouldn't have had to go through 15 years of hell."

"Vlad, we've been through this before. I'd do it again if I had to."

"But still, if I was willing to call Jack and Maddie…"

"Drop it; it's not your fault." Vlad sighed and sat down, knowing it would be a few more hours before they got to Amity Park. Before long, he dozed off. Of course, he found himself in the dream world, which he quickly realized.

He transformed into Plasmius and looked around. Krueger had been destroyed, but he knew quite well that it was temporary. "One, two… Freddy's coming for you… 3,4… better lock your door…5,6 grab your crucifix… 7,8 better stay up late… 9,10 never sleep again."

"Eleven, twelve, Freddy's a dead man." Vlad snarled. He watched the girls play jump rope. To his disgust, one of them had an eye stabbed out. _He makes me sick! When I get my hands on him, he'll be begging for mercy._

"Enjoying the show, weakling?" A voice said behind him. Krueger appeared out of thin air, the typical grin on his face.

"Well, I'm afraid you apply for that much more than I do." Vlad replied. "Let's see… you killed children, most of whom were no older than eight years old. I suppose I can't blame you; after all, if I was pathetic, I wouldn't go after anyone that can fight back."

"Shut up; you don't understand anything! Just wait until I recover; you are mine!"

"I've heard that phrase over a dozen times. You've lost more than once; what makes you think you'll have any better luck this time?"

"Just wait and see. I look forward to having you and the Thompson whore in my grasp." Vlad launched an ecto-blast, but he disappeared.

"I see what Clockwork meant; he's still around." Vlad sighed once he woke up. "Any ideas on how to get rid of him?"

"Well, it has something to do with the dream demons. They're the ones who give him his power."

"Interesting…perhaps we could destroy him in the real world. It's worth a shot, at any rate. It looks like we're going into Amity Park." Vlad got out of his chair and took the pilot's seat. He flew into the airport, and slowly landed the plane. Once they landed, ignoring the communications, Vlad transformed and turned invisible, Nancy following while grabbing Kristen.

"Let's see what's been going on." Vlad remarked. "I'm not about to leap into this situation again." He looked through old newspapers, trying to find information. Nancy sighed, not liking the fact that she couldn't help at the moment. "Damn it, he's taken out around 20 kids already; he's going to be strong."

"You've certainly improved since you last fought him."

"I know, but it was almost… too easy. If he slaughtered as many kids as it appears, he should have been stronger. That can only mean one thing: Daniel's already encountered him. I'll have to find him… if he isn't dead."

"If he's as strong as you say he is, he won't be." Vlad looked up and saw Danny Phantom flying through the skies. "See? What did I tell you?" Danny stopped in mid-air, looking around. Vlad looked concerned and flew up, grabbing Nancy before she could protest.

"Okay, ghost, show up so I can kick your butt!" Danny exclaimed. "I've got a test to study for."

"I wouldn't advise that, Daniel." Vlad warned. "You see, if you go after Nancy, I'll have to hurt you."

"What are you talking about, fruitloop?" Danny demanded, while Vlad cringed at the name. "Oh… you're the first ghost I've seen that was pure white."

"Well, I'm Nancy Thompson, Danny." She greeted. "I've heard a lot about you."

"I'm sure you have." Danny glared. "What are you doing with her, Vlad?"

"I'm trying to help, Daniel, whether you want my assistance or not." Vlad replied. "Krueger kidnapped her and forced her to bring the children to him. It's how he was able to go after ones outside of Springwood. Are you going to float there or give me a hand?" Danny sighed and grabbed a hold of her. They flew into Fentonworks, where the ghost alarms went off.

"Fentonworks anti-creep mode activated! Our special today is fudge… I mean pain!"

"I'll take you down, spook, or my name isn't Jack Fenton!" Jack exclaimed, firing the ecto-bazooka. Vlad put a shield around himself and Nancy, shielding them from the fire.

"Stop firing at us, you fat idiot!" Vlad snapped. "This is Nancy!"

"Okay, sorry." Jack put up his hands. He rushed forward and grabbed Nancy in a bone-crushing hug. "It's wonderful to see you, girl! Tell me, how is existence in the ghost zone?"

"Painful," Nancy sighed, phasing out of his grip. "I've spent a lot of time keeping Krueger away from people, but it apparently didn't work. What do you have that can hurt ghosts?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Jack exclaimed, grabbing her hand and running to the lab. "Let's see, we've got the Fenton Grappler…" They left Vlad and Danny alone.

"So how's life been, little badger?" Vlad smiled. "You look angry; is it Krueger or something else?"

"Jazz's boyfriend; I hate him!" Danny snarled. "I think he's hurting her. There are bruises that came before Krueger, so I think he's responsible. One way or another, I'm going to prove it. Sigh, Jazz is furious with me."

"And why is that?"

"Well, I kind of… broke his wrist."

"Yes, that would be a legitimate reason. Don't jump to conclusions; watch them carefully. If the rumors turn out to be true… well, you can take care of him."

"Well, she's at his house. If there's so much as a scratch on her, I swear to god…"

"Yes, yes, Daniel, but let's focus on Krueger first."

XXXXXX

"Are you doing all right?" Jazz asked in a concerned tone.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Derek smiled, kissing her. _That's an understatement, thanks to you. It ought to be healed by morning, scar. _

They kissed again, until Derek accidentally put his hand on her breast. _Yeah, I'm sure that was an accident. I know you better than that. _He stammered an apology, but Jazz grabbed hi hand and pushed it against her chest. His eyes widened, and reduced to a stammering mess.

"Oh, it's fine." Jazz replied. "In fact, I was kind of hoping you'd do that. Want to make love?" Derek didn't think it possible, but he went even redder, while the symbiote laughed. Jazz took advantage of his surprise and took off his shirt, revealing his bare chest. He was on the heavy side, but if that bothered her, she didn't let on. She rubbed her hands across him, forcing him down on the bed. Jazz unzipped his pants, revealin his blue boxers with an obvious erection. "I knew you liked it."

"Well, it's where a lot of guys keep their brains." Derek stammered, and Jazz laughed. "Not me, though, don't worry." Nervously, his hands grabbed her shirt and pulled it over her head, revealing a red bra. Her breasts were small, but Derek knew how to look past appearance. "Okay, I feel like I'm going to collapse."

"I don't want to rush you into anything." Jazz worried. "Are you okay with this?"

"I'm a guy, and you're asking. I've just… never done this before."

"Neither have I, so bear with me, okay?" She took off her pants, showing off a thong.

"Okay, did you come over here intending to seduce me? Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but that's got to be uncomfortable. I mean, it's a string stuck in your butt." He went on, talking about random things.

"Let's not talk, okay?" She reached under his boxers and stroked him, which produced an immediate reaction. He sighed in pleasure, grabbing Jazz and putting her on top of him. "My, you're impatient, aren't you?" He flipped her over and got on top, gently rubbing her breasts. He saw a blue mark on her side, due to the fact he was practicing karate, lost in his own world, and didn't see her until it was too late. "Hanging in there?" Slowly, he unhitched her bra, being very careful not to cause any damage. He unconsciously gasped at her bare chest, unable to take his eyes off it.

He put his lips on it, sucking gently while massaging the other with his hand. Jazz gasped in pleasure and put her hands on the back on his head. He alternated between her breasts, wanting his girlfriend to enjoy the experience. His massive erection was threatening to tear through his boxers.

"You're not taking over; I am." Jazz chuckled, and Derek took his boxers, his sexual urges becoming overwhelming. He pushed against her, his arms wrapped tightly around her body. Jazz released herself from his grip. Derek worried, thinking he had done something wrong, but Jazz took him in her mouth. Derek moaned in happiness, almost spilling his seed then and there. Jazz mischievously moved her tongue all around his penis, going deeper. Just as he was about to finish, she withdrew. Derek groaned in disappointment.

She put her hands on her panties and slowly pulled them down, grinning at Derek's lust-filled look. He grabbed her hips and put his tongue into her vagina. It didn't taste good, but Derek was trying to think of her pleasure, not merely his own. He wrapped one hand around her behind, and went faster, listening to her gasps. After a few minutes he withdrew and started using his hand. His index finger rubbed her clit, her moans growing louder.

"All right, Derek, you're mine!" She exclaimed, lying down on the bed with her legs spread out. Cautiously, he went inside her, working slowly. _Just be careful. _He said to himself._ Don't hurt her, whatever you do. _It felt tight inside her as he moved in and out. That is, until blood started appearing. _Oh, yes, that's what happens if a woman's a virgin. _"Are you all right?" He asked, willing to stop even though every cell in his body screamed at him to continue. She shook her head and he eagerly obliged. Derek put his weight on his elbows for balance as he thrusted into her.

"Harder! Deeper!" Jazz demanded, in some pain but in pleasure as well. She wrapped her legs around him and started clawing his back, screaming in ecstasy as he spilled into her. Panting, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed Jazz's forehead. "Well, that was certainly fun."

"I love you, Jasmine; never forget that." Derek smiled. "Wow that was cheesy. What is this, some stupid romance novel?" _Okay, the first time was fun for me, but what about her? I'm not foolish enough to think it'll be perfect. _

"Never thought it would be this… messy," Jazz admitted. She dug her fingernails deeper, almost enough to draw blood. "But I'm not done with you yet."

"I'd be worried if you were." Derek chuckled. "I like strong women." They covered themselves with a sheet and he started again. It didn't take more than 30 seconds for the door to open. His sister, Alexis, looked at the duo.

"I thought you two were studying?" She remarked, obvious amusement in her voice. She was about 5 years older and looked a lot like Derek, except her eyes were brown. "A word of advice, bro: try to be a little quieter. You two probably woke up the whole neighborhood

"Well, so much for getting a lock on my door."Derek groaned. Alexis left, but not before sending Jazz a _if you hurt him, I'll kill you _look, which Derek didn't notice. "Ow, damn, my wrist!"

"Sorry, Derek; I got a bit caught up with you." Jazz apologized. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah; you did a pretty good job of distracting me. Love you, Jazz."

"Love you, too. Let's do this again soon." Later that night, when Jazz was peacefully asleep in bed, Derek walked around, able to sleep. Suddenly, he fell to the floor, twitching in pain. He was unable to even scream. Slowly, black substance covered his body, bit by bit. After several minutes, he looked completely different. He looked at himself in the mirror, and said **"Danny Phantom, you are ours! We are poison!"**

As always, let me know what you think. With the sex scene…I decided to try something new, but to make it at least somewhat realistic. Please review! Now that I'm dropping anatomy, updates should be quicker.


	5. Fatal Mistake

Okay, do you want to hear lame excuses or do you want to get on with the chapter? I thought so.

"You know, it's kind of odd." Danny said to his friends. "We haven't heard anything from Krueger for over 2 weeks." They were currently in Casper High, where the incidents were still the topic of discussion.

"He's probably biding his time, planning a major strike." Tucker suggested. "That's how it usually is with villains, anyway."

"I just wish we didn't have to work with Vlad." Danny sighed. "I know he's helping us, but I still don't trust him."

"Neither do I, but he knows more about Krueger than any of us." Sam admitted. "His feelings about him are genuine, so we're on the same page. He'll probably try to turn this to his advantage, though; he always does."

"Hey, Fenton!" Dash exclaimed, yelling at Danny. They tensed up as Dash marched towards him. Danny got in a defensive position, waiting to be thrown in a locker. He stopped a few feet from him, and looked like he was debating with himself. Finally, he said: "Thanks for…saving my life, Fenton."

"Wow, I didn't know that was in your vocabulary." Tucker quipped.

"Shut up, Foley!" Dash snapped. "This still doesn't mean I like you, but…I'll leave you alone and tell my friends to do the same. Did you ever find out what happened to Kwan?"

"I have no idea." Danny lied. His mind drifted back to when he saw a Xenomorph ripping its way out of Kwan's body. While he had gotten used to many things as Danny Phantom, that one still made him shudder.

"I was hoping you'd know something." Dash shook his head. "He was probably killed, but… there's a part of my mind that can't accept that." He walked off, muttering to himself.

"Just when I thought this place couldn't get any weirder." Sam remarked, pushing her body closer to danny's. He kissed her while Tucker made gagging noises.

"Can you find a room, or at least a car?" Tucker remarked. Danny and sam broke apart and glared at him.

"Come on, guys, we better get home before our parents start to worry." Sam stated. "So what do we do about Krueger?" Danny wondered as they walked. I'm not going to sit around and have him make the first move!"

"What else can we do?" Tucker complained.

"Well, we could have Jazz take us to his part of the dream world." Danny suggested. "It's not like anyone else has any better ideas."

"Yeah, she can even take Umbra with us, now that he's recovered." Sam smiled, a rare feat for her. "Now we've already figured out that the best way to beat him is to drag him into the real world. That's going to be the hard part."

Before Danny could reply, a voice said "Time out!" Next thing Danny knew, he was floating next to Clockwork. "Hello, Danny; it's been a while."

"I know; what do you want to tell me?" Danny replied. "We've already figured out a way to beat Krueger."

"Don't be too sure of that." Clockwork warned, turning into an old man. "He has more abilities than you know of, one of them being immunity to my powers."

"That's going to complicate things, but I know you well enough that you wouldn't be here if that's all I needed to know."

"You're getting quite intelligent, Daniel." Clockwork smiled, turning into a child. "What I can tell you is that Krueger is not acting alone, and has agents than act in the real world. It won't be long before he has all powers in both worlds. Your parents have faced him before; this time, he is far stronger."

"Who would help that lunatic?"

"Can you think of no one? I'll give you a hint: it's someone you have encountered in the past." He turned back into an old man.

"Why can't you ever give me a straight answer?"

"Danny, this is something you will have to do for yourself. However, I can give you one last piece of information: what is seen is not always what is real, and what you believe is the truth may be only what you wish to believe." He turned into an adult.

"What does that mean? What's going to happen?"

"That, my young protégé, is up to you. Time in!"

"Danny, hello?" Tucker waved his hand in front of Danny's face.

"Sorry, guys, I just spaced out for a second." Danny lied, still thinking about Clockwork's words. After a few minutes, they got back to Fentonworks. They opened the door and looked around. Jack was currently beefing up the security measures.

"Have fun, Daniel?" Vlad asked as he limped down the stairs. "OW, OW, OW, OW, Hershey bars! Jeez, I've killed Krueger a dozen times, but he's still around."

"Jeez, Vlad, what happened to you?" Danny asked.

"Krueger keeps trying to retake Kristen, and you can imagine who gets the job of saving her." Vlad rolled his eyes. "This is why I never signed up for the hero business. Still, it's better I face him than you."

"Hey, don't leave us out of this!" Sam protested. "We've involved in this too."

"Yeah, what are you holding back from us?"

"I'm trying to save your ungrateful lives." Vlad snapped. "I would rather you not face Krueger at all, but since you've been dragged into it, I have little choice. It's the reason you haven't seen many attacks; I keep getting in his way."

"Have you tried dragging him into the real world?" Tucker suggested.

"Yes, but he's apparently wise to that trick." Vlad replied. "Combine it with the fact that he's much stronger than before, and it's not exactly an easy task."

"How about Kristen; is she getting better?" Sam asked in a concerned tone.

"She's making progress, but don't expect miracles. Nancy's the only one she can have around without feeling terrified. She's talking, but not more than a few sentences."

"Well, that's still an improvement." Danny added, trying to look on the bright side. "Look, Vlad, we'll be able to beat him if we work together. Don't try to keep me out of this."

"I don't really have a choice do I?" Vlad sighed, and Danny smirked. "Now I understand how Samantha annoys you so much." Sam glared death at Danny, who gulped nervously. He was about to deny everything when he saw Vlad's smirk.

"I'll give you a 10 second head start." Danny glared. Vlad disappeared, and a second later, Danny got hit from behind. Vlad wrapped him in ecto-rope, proving that who they were talking to was merely a duplicate.

"Wow, I can't believe there's actually a lighter side to you." Tucker remarked.

"Oh, there are many things you don't know about me." Vlad smiled, releasing Danny. "For instance, I've already upgraded the security in this house, while Jack's checking to make sure I didn't install any death traps or anything."

"Well, it doesn't look like it." Jack sighed. "I still wish Maddie was here; she'd be able to do this better than I can."

"On that, I agree completely." Vlad replied. "Just wait until we can actually get Krueger here. I look forward to tearing him apart."

"You know, you're leaving us out again." Sam complained.

"Sorry, Sam, old habit," Jack replied. "I've got a strong arsenal for all of us."

"Well, that's good to hear." Nancy said, floating above them. "Nice to see you guys again."

"This is weird even by our standards." Tucker quipped.

Before anyone could reply, they heard a frantic knocking on the door. Danny opened it and saw Valerie covered in bruises with an unconscious Danielle in her arms.

"What happened to her?" Danny managed to stammer out.

"Someone attacked her." Valerie replied. "It's no one I've ever seen before, but oddly enough… he looked kind of like you."

_It can't be him, can it? _Danny worried. He had beaten his future self once before by luck and surprise, but if he escaped from Clockwork's prison. "What…what did he look like?"

"Yeah, we haven't seen any ghosts for 2 weeks." Tucker stated. "He must be very brave or very stupid, considering how much they fear Krueger."

"Well, he looked a lot like you." Valerie thought out loud. Danny and his friends' fear increased. They knew who fit the description.

"How so?" Danny gulped.

"He had your insignia, except it was glowing red." Valerie explained. "He had fangs, a black cape with a red interior, and was pretty much just covered in black. And the real odd thing was: he referred to himself as 'we'."

"Okay, that doesn't ring a bell." Tucker shook his head. "It's no one we've ever fought." Clearly, he was thinking along the same lines as Danny.

"You know, we see a lot of the damsel in distress routine." Sam rolled her eyes.

"Just what we need: another crazy maniac." Nancy rolled her eyes. "Krueger's bad enough, but he's someone who can get us in the real world."

"For now, though, he only has one target: Danny." Valerie informed.

"Yes, that does seem to be how it works." Vlad smirked. "I suppose we'll have to have a talk with him. However, Krueger should still be our primary target. Also, I'm glad Danielle is unconscious; we have a hostile relationship."

"Vlad, you tried to melt her." Danny reminded.

"We better get her to the medical wing." Jack declared. "I better make this permanent, considering how things have been going."

"You tried to melt her?" Nancy asked Vlad in a shocked voice.

"It's a long, complicated story that we don't have time for." Vlad interrupted. "There are still a few confusing things about this story." _And I have my suspicions as to who it is._

XXXXXXXXXXX

Danielle, better known as Danni Phantom, flew through the skies of Amity Park, eager to see her cousin again. "It's been a long time." She sighed to herself. "I'd have come sooner, but the Guys in White were after me." However, she couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was wrong. She looked down on the ground, and everything appeared normal, but it stayed in the back of her mind.

Danielle was tackled without warning, and slammed into a brick wall. She flew higher just in time to avoid a vicious punch that took down several square feet of brick. She fired a few distracting ecto-blasts, and tried to get her bearings.

"_**What are you doing in this town, ghost?" **_Her opponent demanded. He was covered in black, except for his eyes and the red DP emblem. His fangs were large and menacing, and his cape was dark with a blood-red interior. Needless to say, she was not looking forward to the fight. _**"We aren't about to let you make our situation worse!" **_He dived towards her again, while she turned intangible and he went through her. Danni countered with a blitzkrieg of punches to his face and midsection, knocking him back several feet. To her dismay, though, he barely seemed affected at all. _**"You won't get rid of us that easily!"**_

He launched ecto-blasts far more powerful than anything she could conjure up, and though she put up a shield, it ripped through like it didn't even exist. He punched her across the jaw, coming close to shattering it. She fell on the street, slowly getting up. _Okay, he's a lot stronger than I am. _She thought to herself. He fired again and she cringed before realizing his aim had been off. _However, he doesn't know how to use his powers; maybe he's a hybrid._

She didn't have any time to think about it, as Poison charged towards her again. She rolled out of the way and Poison slammed his fist into the ground, sending concrete into the air. Danni flew up, trying to find an opportunity to escape. Poison followed, charging again. Danni continued to dodge, trying to struggle through the pain. "What the hell are you?" she managed to gasp out.

"_**We are poison, the newest protector of Amity Park !" **_Poison bragged, launching an ecto-blast. This one hit Danni straight on, throwing her into a streetlight. She tried to get up, but could barely move. However, before Poison could do anything, he was hit by several ecto-blasts. Valerie had arrived on the scene, glaring at Poison with hate.

"I don't know what you want, ghost, but I'm going to kick your butt!" Valerie exclaimed, firing her weapons. Poison got hit in the torso, making no effort to avoid the shots. Once her barrage was over, she reloaded, only to find herself wrapped up in black substance.

"**Nice try, Valerie; our turn!" **Poison snarled, floating towards her. Danielle charged, but he hit her in the chest without giving a second glance. Afterwards, he methodically tore apart Valerie's weaponry. _**"We have a message for your friend, Danny Phantom…though perhaps you know him as Danny Fenton."**_

"Get away from her!" Danielle demanded, kicking him in the gut. He roared in rage and launched powerful energy shots in her direction. Danni frantically evaded the offensive, knowing full well what would happen to her if any of them hit her. She ducked under yet another blast and delivering a powerful uppercut, stunning him for several seconds. Danielle followed with am ecto-blast glowing in its intensity.

Valerie finally managed to free herself with a weapon that Poison missed. However, since she was trapped on a 5th story ledge, there was little she could do. Poison backhanded Danielle and headed towards Valerie again. _**"We'll be back, Valerie." **_Poison chuckled. _**"Be very grateful you are not our target. We're the new protector of Amity Park , and we'll do a better job then Danny fucking Fenton!" **_Valerie was nearly trembling, doing her best not to show fear. Surprisingly, Poison lifted her up and set her on the ground. He flew off, although not without slamming into a nearby tree.

"Are you all right, Valerie?" Danni asked, although she was badly bruised herself.

"I'll live; come on, we better get to fentonworks." Valerie replied. Before Danni could say anything, she fell unconscious. "Danny needs to know about this."

XXXXXXXX

"So are you enjoying yourself?" Krueger laughed at Paulina, who was naked on the floor, rolled into a ball. She and her friends had a party at Dash's house, with plenty of booze and drugs. According to the rules, she had to die. "I've already killed a couple of your friends, and believe me, I will enjoy this." He raised his claws with a grin.

Only to get hit in the back with an ecto-blast; Nocturne glared at Krueger with hate. "This has gone far enough. You have twisted the act of dream control and even your demons cannot save you, for I have the same power. Sleepwalkers, form!" Several sleepwalkers formed around Krueger.

He simply laughed and slashed with his claws, destroying two of them. Nocturne fired more ecto-blasts, all of which Krueger dodged. Before he could attack again, he found himself surrounded by flames.

"This is my world, fool!" Krueger laughed, destroying the last of the sleepwalkers, while the energy entered him. "I am unstoppable. (To put it in perspective, he's as strong as he was in Freddy's dead: the final nightmare, and still growing)

With an effort, Nocturne dispelled the flames. "Considering how many people are currently asleep in this city, I can do this all night." He growled. He summoned more sleepwalkers, surrounding Krueger. He backhanded the dream killed and threw him into the boiler.

"As can I," Krueger grinned, using his power to throw Nocturne into the wall. He raised his hand, causing objects to fly in Nocturne's direction. He continued to cut down the sleepwalkers, his claws eventually glowing red. "Watch this, Nocturne." He conjured over a dozen floating blades, all of them trying to cut Nocturne in half.

He fired more energy as he frantically dodged the blades. One of them cut into Nocturne's leg, which quickly healed. He fired a massive energy blast, destroying them all…only to have Krueger slam into him. Both of them fell on the metal floor, wrestling on the ground. Nocturne kicked Krueger in the gut, sending him into the air where he floated when his arms crossed.

"Once I take you down, you will be charged by my people with abuse of power." Nocturne declared, glaring furiously. He increased in size, glowing with power. He knew better then to create sleepwalkers, which Krueger would only absorb and increase in power. Despite his bravado, he wasn't as strong as he acted, since he had no dream helmets to harvest their dreams to increase his power. _Even with that power, the Phantom boy put up a strong fight, and Krueger is far more dangerous. _

He was hit with a burst of flame from the furnace, Krueger grinning the whole time. He jumped onto nocturne, cutting his stomach open. Nocturne turned intangible, giving him time to escape. He created a shield, stunning Krueger while he healed his wounds.

"You're weakening; this will be over soon." Krueger boasted, his claws glowing on the battlefield. Nocturne glared, and the area began to shake. "No, this is my world!!"

With a tremendous effort, he stopped the quake and levitated the debris above him. Nocturne put up a shield, but didn't realize until too late that it was exactly what Krueger wanted. He disappeared, appearing from behind and cutting into his back with his knives. Nocturne screamed in pain, and unlike before, intangibility was ineffective.

"I'm not done yet." Nocturne gasped out. He fired eye blasts, blowing a large hole in Krueger's torso. Krueger snapped his fingers and the hole sealed up, laughing in the process. Nocturne knew he had to come up with some sort of plan or he was finished. _He likes to taunt his victims with painful memories; two can play at that game._

"Son of a hundred maniacs! son of a hundred maniacs!" Voices exclaimed from all over the boiler room. Krueger looked around furiously, but could not find their location.

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" Krueger screamed furiously. Nocturne took the opportunity to launch a massive energy shot at his body. It ripped through his flesh, ripping out his limbs. By the time it finished, his sweater was almost completely burned, both his arms and one leg were gone, as was the right half of his face. Nocturne continued the attack, punching what remained of his body and sending energy through his body.

Slowly, Krueger healed himself, his limbs and face returning. Nocturne grabbed onto him, attempting to drag them both into the real world. Freddy resisted, but was ultimately overcome. "You're mortal here; you can't heal as you did before." Nocturne declared.

"Oh, you think things have gone according to plan." Freddy laughed, waving his claws. "I got news for you, idiot: you did exactly what I wanted you to do." Without warning, he tackled Nocturne and sliced his gut open. He sprinted towards Nocturne's objects and grabbed a small crystal. "The dream crystal; with this, I can have all my powers in the dream world even in the human world."

"No, no!" Nocturne screamed. He fired more energy than ever out of sheer desperation. That crystal was a powerful object, and in the hands of someone like Krueger…

He simply let the blasts hit him, the wounds healing immediately. He rushed towards Nocturne, cutting through him like butter. Freddy was hit in the chin by an uppercut, but considering his newfound power, it did little to him, especially since Nocturne was rapidly losing power.

"Oh, and I almost forgot," Krueger added as Nocturne was hit from behind. He fell on his back, groaning weakly. "Let me introduce you to my new partner." Nocturne gasped in horror as he realized who it was.

"Yes, we have a mutually beneficial relationship." His partner bragged. Nocturne tried to get up, but what repeatedly hit with physical and energy attacks.

"Danny Phantom will stop you." Nocturne promised. Krueger fired another shot at him, and everything went black.

How's that for a cliffhanger? As always, please review.


	6. Krueger's games

"You know, Jazz, this is an interesting power you have." Derek smirked. "I'm sure it'll have many…entertaining uses."

"Well, we'll have to find what those uses are." Jazz smiled back. They were both in a dream suited for their…desires. Both of them were walking through the woods, hand in hand. "I just wish we didn't have Krueger to deal with."

_That makes three of us. I'm sure we can take whatever Krueger wants to throw at us._

_I know, but I would rather not have Jasmine know my secret just yet._ Derek responded. _She would accept me, but what about her dear brother? He'll want to destroy me more than ever. There's a reason I accepted you: we'll take his place as protector of Amity Park. Why did Valerie defend that female ghost?_

"I look forward to it." Derek put his arms around her. He kissed her neck and smiled. They heard a laugh behind them. Sure enough, there was Krueger brandishing his knives.

"Oh, great, what an unpleasant surprise." Jazz rolled her eyes.

"Hello, lovebirds." Krueger laughed. "You know the rules: if you have sex, you die, and I'll be more than happy to oblige."

"Hey, dumbass, this is reality, not a clichéd horror movie." Derek glared furiously. "If you want Jasmine, you'll have to deal with me first."

"And you say I'm clichéd…" Krueger muttered. "Well, in that case…" he disappeared and reappeared behind Derek. He stabbed him in the back, blood gushing everywhere. Jazz kicked him across the jaw, forcing Krueger to release him. She threw punches, but Krueger just laughed at being hit, not hurt in the least.

_Just give me a few seconds; it won't take me long to heal the wounds._

_Hurry up; Jasmine won't last long on her own,_ Derek worried. After a minute or so, his wounds stopped hurting except for a faint twinge. _It's kind of scary that I'm actually used to this kind of pain. _He jumped up and kicked Krueger in the neck, knocking him to the floor. However, he quickly got back on his feet, only to have Jasmine kick the legs out from under him.

Derek and Jazz kept a wary eye on Krueger, waiting for his next move. Grinning, he disappeared. They stood back to back, wary of his tricks. Derek saw a woman he recognized. He gulped, knowing who this was.

_It's one of his tricks; he's trying to take advantage of your weaknesses!_

_I'm well aware of that, but it's not easy to see this. _Derek replied. His other enemies showed up, surrounding him. Derek gulped, afraid.

"Derek, it's just a trick!" Jazz shouted. "Don't let him get to you." She dodged an attempted assault by Krueger, as Derek kicked him across the jaw. However, he didn't seem fazed in the least.

"You'll have to do better than that." Krueger laughed.

"Maybe you should try to relax." Derek smirked. "Get a life, find a nice girl and… oh, wait, you don't know how to attract one."

"Actually, I do, and I killed the nosy bitch!" Krueger exclaimed, backhanding Derek. Before he could do anything else, black substance surrounded Krueger and repeatedly threw him into the concrete.

"You got another dream power?" Jazz asked. "Good for you!" They shared a passionate kiss.

"Hey, I'm right here!" Krueger protested. "You can have all the fun you want… in hell!"

"Yeah, yeah, we've heard the speech before." Jazz rolled her eyes. "Let's do this.

"How about some tips to help your love life?" Derek grinned. "I know 10 things to make you more attractive. 10: wear Islamic garb covering all but the eyes." Krueger lashed at him, cutting his arm, but did little else as Jazz threw him over her body. 9: get rid of the burnt flesh. 8: ski mask 7: sew up holes in ski mask."

The environment changed to Krueger's boiler room. He raised his hand, sending heavy objects in their direction. Derek evaded them matrix-style, but was hit in the back with a pipe. Jazz had even less luck when a blade went through her shoulder. She screamed in agony, struggling to get up.

"6: hire handsome man to stand in front of you at all times." Derek exclaimed, trying to divert his attention. 5: nose job. 4:put paper bag over ski mask."

"Be quiet, boy!" Krueger yelled, raising his arm again. This time it was a needle that went through his lips, literally sewing his mouth shut. He fell to his knees, blood everywhere. Jazz kicked him in the thigh, buying herself enough time to get back on her feet.

_You mind helping me?! _Derek screamed at the symbiote.

_I can't heal you until you remove the thread._

_Great, I'm really looking forward to this. _Slowly, he broke the thread, wishing he was able to scream. One by one, bit by bloody bit, the threads were broken. Black substance covered his mouth almost immediately, sealing the wounds.

"I'll have to make the thread last longer next time." Krueger grinned. Jazz stood beside Derek, glaring at him despite the wound in her shoulder.

"3: shave head, paint Johnny Depp's face on back of head, learn to walk backwards." Derek continued. "2: poke out eyes of every woman on earth and number 1: get President to make every day Halloween."

"SHUT UP, BOY!" Krueger yelled furiously, advancing towards him.

_Push through the pain, push through the pain…_ Jazz repeated to herself. She used her power, trying desperately to defend herself. A portal opened up above them, and 2 figures fell between the combatants.

"You know, being transported to another's dream is not a very pleasant experience." Vlad complained, brushing the dust off his suit. He looked at Krueger, who looked at Vlad with hate and…Fear?

"Yeah, like you wouldn't do it to any of us." Danny groaned, cracking his back. "Krueger's probably here, so we need to beat him. Look, Vlad…" He was shoved to the ground by Vlad as Krueger reappeared, slashing at the duo. Vlad transformed into Plasmius, Danny into Phantom.

"Oh, yes, this is really frightening." Krueger laughed. "But you see, I've found a few…allies of my own."

"Hello, freaks of nature." A voice cackled. Floating near them in all her glory was Penelope Spectra. "I see you've certainly come down in the world. So, Danny, still a loser to the entire world? You know they'll never accept you." She sent clouds of misery to Danny, who struggled to fight it.

"Actually, he has been quite successful." Vlad smirked, blasting Spectra. He duplicated into 4, and surrounded her. "You may be able to hold your own against Daniel, but let's see how you cope with me."

"Bertrand, get him!" Spectra ordered. Bertrand appeared, in the form of a ninja. Bertrand was kicked aside by Derek, and shot by Vlad, who sent his duplicates towards the duo, while he and Danny fought Krueger.

"You don't give up, do you, Masters?" Freddy laughed, dodging his attacks and trying to fire his own. "I am immortal; I cannot be destroyed!" Danny froze him in ice, giving Vlad the opportunity to deliver a devastating roundhouse, decapitating him. However, Freddy's head quickly grew back, his grin now replaced with anger.

"Just watch us, Freddy." Danny glared, glaring at him with determination. Vlad launched a ghost stinger, shocking Freddy, and Danny followed with ecto-blasts, spinning him out of control. Vlad fired eye beams and tied him up in ecto-rope.

"I beat you before, Krueger, and I can beat you again." Vlad promised. He delivered a 2-fisted punch into Krueger's torso, sending him into a wall. He launched a stream of ecto-energy, but Krueger disappeared. "Hiding won't do you any good."

"I don't intend to hide." Freddy laughed, slashing Vlad's cheat. He fell back, grabbing his energy. Danny fired more ice blasts, giving Vlad a chance to recover from his injury. He grabbed Krueger's ankle and sent a powerful ecto-shock through his body. Krueger screamed, struggling to get free, but Danny aimed an ecto-orb, smashing it into Krueger's face. It ripped his skin off, exposing the bone. Vlad spun him around and threw him into the cement. Danny pushed Vlad aside and fired his ghostly wail. Krueger was helpless as the wall crashed on top of him.

"He's not a tough as he thinks he is." Danny declared.

"Don't get too arrogant, Daniel." Vlad warned. "I don't think this is over just yet."

"Right again, Masters." Freddy laughed, going after Danny. The knives glowing, he cut into Danny's face, blood spurting everywhere. Furious, Vlad barreled into Krueger, the two grappling with one another. Moaning in pain, Danny grabbed his cheek, which was bleeding profusely. His index finger glowing, he cauterized the wound. He screamed in the process, but the bleeding had mostly stopped, although the left side of his face was covered in green and red.

"You'll have to do better than that." Danny snarled, punching Krueger across the jaw. Vlad sent more ecto-rays into his body. Before Krueger could recover, Vlad grabbed his arm, sent ectoplasm through him, and ripped off Krueger's limbs.

"I intend to, boy." Krueger grinned, his arms reappearing. His blades swung everywhere, Danny and Vlad barely managing to dodge them all. He sent objects flying around everywhere, and even with intangibility, the ghost hybrids had a difficult time avoiding the attacks.

"Enough!" Danny screamed, launching another ghostly wail. Krueger lost his concentration and fell to the ground, most of his skin ripped off. Vlad used ecto-lightning, sending it into Krueger. Unlike before, he didn't let up, keeping Krueger in too much pain to teleport. Danny froze him in an ice prison, keeping him paralyzed.

Both of them focused their energy in their hands, aiming at Krueger. The instant he broke free of the ice, the hybrids unleashed their energy, slowly vaporizing his body. "He's done." Danny panted, turning back into Fenton.

"No; we've only slowed him down." Vlad shook his head. "He cannot be permanently destroyed in the dream world."

"Very smart of you, Plasmius," Spectra grinned. A dark cloud surrounded them and they disappeared, knowing they couldn't beat the two hybrids.

"Thanks for the help, bro," Jazz smiled, hugging Danny. "You too, Vlad; wow, I never thought I'd say that."

The landscape disappeared and Jazz and Derek both found themselves back in her bed. "Jeez, he's getting stronger." Derek stated, rubbing his neck. "Good move of yours, bringing them into your dream."

"Hey, I better have some idea of how to use these powers." Jazz smiled. She caressed his chest with her hand, Derek's eyes wide open. "You know, you aren't bad at this at all; you learn quickly." Obviously, they had made love before falling asleep.

_Thanks to a little help from me._ The symbiote reminded.

_That, and I looked it up on the internet. I wanted some idea of what the hell I was doing. _Derek replied.

_I suggest we not stay long; we are in Danny's house, and it wouldn't surprise me if he's awake. _

"Hey, Jazz, I never knew you could be so wild." Derek sighed. "It's like a hard workout, but a lot more fun. Look, I think I better go; I can imagine what your family will do if they catch me here."

"I know, Derek." Jazz gave him a quick kiss and got out of bed. Derek eyed her lustily; he tried to hide it, but wasn't very skilled at hiding emotions. Jazz noticed what he was doing and smirked. She pulled her clothes back on, and Derek started to do the same. "Wow, you're definitely happy to see me." She looked down where guys generally kept their brains.

"Jeez, Jasmine, you sound like some stupid romance novel." Derek chuckled, still in his boxers. Jazz eyed him suggestively, and made an encouraging gesture. "I'd love to, but I have to go. I wouldn't be surprised if… oh, shit."

Danny, Jack, and Vlad walked in on the couple in their current state. Danny looked furious, Jack not far behind, while Vlad simply had a knowing smirk. "What the hell are you doing here?" Danny demanded.

"Keep your hands off my daughter!" Jack exclaimed, his fists clenched in anger.

"Hold on, gentlemen." Vlad stepped in. "Jasmine is an adult and capable of making her own decisions. More important, we cannot afford to fight among ourselves while Krueger is still around.

"Danny, I love him." Jazz stared her brother down. "You may not approve, but it's my decision, not yours." She put her arm around Derek's waist.

"Besides, I doubt it's anything you and Sam haven't already done." Derek laughed. Furiously, Danny walked towards him, but Jazz held him back.

"Derek, don't make this worse." Jazz warned.

"Get your clothes on, and get out of here." Jack demanded. "I don't ever want to see you in this house again." Derek hastily got dressed, and took his leave.

"Fine, but Jasmine's my girlfriend, and nothing you two idiots will do can change that." Derek snarled, not seeing Jazz's disappointment. _Jeez, this is starting to look like a bad romance movie. Even if it was, who'd buy the rights? Hmm, probably Fox._

None of them heard the dark laughter in the background

XXXXXXXXXXX

"So how is she?" Danny asked, sitting by Danielle's side.

"She will make a full recovery." Vlad replied. "I'm worried about Kristen; she doesn't let anyone but Nancy and sometimes me touch her. I don't even want to think about what kind of pain she endured at Krueger's hand. I'm going to destroy him, even if I have to sacrifice my life."

"You know, cheesehead, I don't think I've ever seen you like this." Danny quipped, but looked at Danielle. Her wounds were healing, but she was still unconscious.

"I've told you the story before, Daniel." Vlad sighed. "Let me know if anything changes, and please try to control yourself." Vlad walked out of the lab just as Sam and Tucker walked in. They heard a scream from upstairs.

"Is that Kristen again?" Tucker asked. "Jeez, I've never seen a girl act like her."

"Tucker, she has made some improvement." Sam replied. "Think about what kind of shape she was in when Vlad rescues. Just so you know, Jazz's with Derek again."

"Sam, I'm trying to stay calm." Danny put his arms around Sam in an effort to control his anger. "Sigh, Danni still isn't waking up. I hope she'll be fine, and who attacked her, anyway? And why is he after me…like we don't have enough to worry about."

"Look, Danny, you've been down here for hours." Sam informed. "How about you at least get something to eat? You can't help her in this state." Danny sighed and reluctantly got up, hand in hand with Sam. Tucker didn't make any comments about being "lovebirds", which proved how serious the situation was.

After Danny had a bowl of cereal, he felt a bit more energized. "Good to have some of the old Danny back." Tucker laughed, slapping him on the back. _Especially now; since your Mom died, you've been a lot…darker. Not at the "HIM" level, but it's scary. This is what the hero business does to you. I hope you decide to retire at some point, or this is going to break you. _Outwardly, though, Tucker acted like his usual self.

"Hey, Danny, what's going on?" Jazz smiled, as she walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, Jazz, why are you so happy all of a sudden?" Sam asked.

"I have to admit, I…think I'm in love with Derek." Jazz replied, but Danny noticed that something was off. She ran into her room before Danny could answer her.

"You know, something about her is off." Sam mused.

"So you noticed that too?" Danny replied. "I'm going to see what's going on." Tucker and Sam followed, but stopped at the door.

"It's your sister, man; we aren't getting in the way." Tucker raised his hands. Danny opened the door and saw Jazz laying in her bed, not saying anything.

"Jazz, what's wrong?" Danny asked. He turned her head towards him. "What's wrong; you've got to tell me? What happened to you?"

"It's nothing, Danny; I'm just tired." Jazz smiled weakly. Danny grabbed her arm gently but she hissed in pain.

"What is that?" He demanded. He lifted her sleeve and saw a purple bruise. "How did you get that?"

"It's nothing, okay, nothing!" Jazz insisted, but Danny didn't believe her. He saw small tears in her clothes and frowned. "I can't tell you; he'd kill me!"

"You mean Krueger? No, you'd tell me about that…it must be your dear boyfriend! Jazz, did he do this to you?" he already knew the answer, but wanted to hear it from her.

"Yes…he did." Jazz grabbed onto Danny tightly, crying on his shoulder. He hugged her, encouraging her to let it out, but inwardly promising that Derek would die a slow and painful death. "It's been going on for a while. Today, he tried to…to…rape me. I managed to get away, but until now, I was…too afraid to tell you."

"You can always count on me, sis." Danny's eyes were tearing up as well. He soothed her until she mostly calmed down. He opened the door, almost ripping it off in his rage.

"Danny, what's going on?" Tucker asked, noticing his anger.

"Derek…I was right about him." Danny hissed. "He was abusing her, he tried to rape her…I'M GOING TO KILL THAT MOTHERFUCKER!"

"Danny, what did Jazz tell you?" Sam cautioned, not wanting her boyfriend to do anything rash.

"Derek's been hurting her." Danny trembled, using all his self-control to keep his voice down. "He'll pay for this, I swear it!"

"What's going on here?" Jack asked with concern, Vlad alongside him. "Danny, what's wrong?" Jazz walked out of the room, still crying.

"Daddy, Derek's been hurting me," She managed to gasp out. "I didn't tell you before because…he's said he'd kill me!" Jazz collapsed in Jack's arms.

"I promise you, princess, you'll never have to worry about him again." Jack rubbed her hair. "I'm going to call the police."

"That's not enough, Dad." Danny snarled. "I'm going to kill him!"

"Daniel, let's not make any rash decisions." Vlad got out; his mind was working quickly on something else, "Since Krueger, our current sadistic idiot, is giving us a great deal of difficulty, let's focus on him first."

"Shut up, cheesehead!" Danny snapped, storming out of the house, Sam and Tucker following. No one said anything, but Vlad's face indicated that he was deep in thought.

XXXXXXX

"Derek, are you sure you don't want to try again?" Jazz asked.

"Hey, what are you trying to do, kill me?" Derek joked. They had been…well, you can figure it out…for the past hour. He walked into the bathroom, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat off his face.

"I'm waiting; my heart twinges with desire." Jazz sung, which set them both laughing.

"I see you do want to kill me. Damn, so much for the male stereotype, huh?

_Especially since you didn't ask for any assistance from me; I told you she's happier when you do._

_I wanted to try to see what I could do for myself. I'm clumsy, and knowledge of the female body only gets me so far. In the future, I'll have you help._

_A wise decision, especially since Danny now knows what you do with his sister._

"Come on, Derek, you didn't really satisfy me." Jazz smiled, beckoning him forward.

"Just give me a second; what am I, am animal? I'm not, but I don't know if I can say the same about you. Jazz chuckled again. "Seriously, though, I really love you. Thanks for being there for me," He kissed Jazz quickly and headed to the bathroom.

The instant he shut the door, Krueger appeared and backhanded him. Black substance came out of him, and ripped at Krueger's flesh. "Ha, ha, this will be fun." Freddy grinned, freeing himself. He bound Derek with more ropes, gagging him. Derek glared defiantly. "Oh, I won't kill you…yet. You'll beg for me to kill you when I'm through. Everyone will despise you; you'll be hunted and killed. The dear hybrids will do my dirty work for me." Freddy waved his hand again and transformed into a look-alike of Derek.

Derek tried to break through and every time he tried to transform into Poison, the ropes gave him a terrible shock. _Damn it, I can't break free! Come on, damn it, break!_

_Use my power! It will be painful, but it's the only way; think of what Krueger is planning._

_He wants to kill Jasmine; I won't let him!_

_You fool; he doesn't intend to! Weren't you listening? Sigh, he's going to hurt you and have the blame put on you. Divided, we'll be much easier for Krueger to destroy! Transform; there isn't much time._

Derek slowly transformed into Poison, screaming in the process, but finally he managed it. He easily ripped through the ropes and knocked the door down. Jazz ran out the door, heavily bruised. Furious, Derek punched Krueger across the jaw.

_**"You're going to pay for that; this we promise!" **_Poison screamed, but Krueger didn't seem fazed in the least. Grinning, he vanished as suddenly as he came. _**"Now what do we do? Nobody will believe our innocence, Phantom most of all! Both of them will suffer, Fenton and Krueger!" **_

Alexis walked in, asking "Derek, what is going on…oh, my god! Get away from me!"

_**"Don't you know who we are?" **_Poison demanded. _**"Or will you throw us aside as everyone else has? Don't please; we cannot take any more!"**_

__"If you're Derek, prove it!" Alexis snapped.

_**"As you wish, sister," **_Poison hissed. _**"We have lived together ever since our father was killed in the Xenomorph invasion; you hung my underwear on a flagpole when I was 9; you defended me when everyone believed us guilty, a monster. And if that wasn't enough." **_Some of the substance disappeared, revealing Derek's face.

"What is that? How…how did it get on you?" Alexis stammered.

"This saved my life; otherwise, my wounds would have killed me." When Alexis nodded, he went on. "I accepted a permanent bond with the symbiote because of the threat from Krueger and Phantom, or should I say Fenton? He's the one who broke my wrist."

"That was him?! I'm going to kill him!"

"He's Danny Phantom; it won't be that easy. Sigh, he's hated me ever since I started dating his sister. I think that's why Krueger is doing this; to rip us apart. If we don't get out of here, he's going to kill me."

"Krueger? What are you talking about, Derek? Let me go!" The substance covered his face again.

_**"We're sorry, sister, but we have no time to explain now. We have to get to safety; Phantom has become more violent than ever and since we're sure Krueger's trick will fool him…" **_Not wanting to wait for a response, he flew out the window, Alexis holding onto him for dear life.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Nancy, I think we may have a problem." Vlad warned, barging in without warning. He startled Kristen, causing her to latch onto Nancy.

"Stop, Freddy, please stop…" Kristen whispered to herself.

"Vlad, you have to be careful." Nancy chastised. "She has a very long way to go. Now what exactly do you need?"

"I think he has a new plan. Jasmine was in tears, claiming her boyfriend abused her, but…I think it was Krueger."

"It's possible; it's how Freddy killed me. Still, we better have some proof; what evidence do you have?"

"Firstly, Jasmine always calls Jack "Dad", never "Daddy" Secondly, Jasmine would not stay in an abusive relationship and is smart enough to go to the police if such a thing did happen. She was once an enemy; I know how she thinks. She's a strong girl, just as strong as Daniel. Her intelligence rivals my own; if he did indeed abuse her, she would not have kept it hidden. She is well aware that her family could protect her."

"You do have a point there, Vlad, and it's the kind of trick Freddy would play. Our main problem: how do we convince Danny of this?"

"It's not easy. He doesn't know nearly as much about Krueger as we do, and is amazingly stubborn."

"Yeah, and you're not stubborn." Nancy rolled her eyes.

"I never claimed I wasn't." Vlad smirked. Then he turned serious again. "We'd better intervene before it gets worse." Nancy was holding Kristen, who had mainly calmed down.

"Vlad…you won't let Freddy take me again, will you?" She whimpered.

"I promise, Kristen." Vlad replied, kneeling down. "Nancy, stay here. It looks like Krueger has found a way to get from the dream world to the real world without losing any of his powers, so we'll have to come up with a new plan." He transformed into Plasmius. "Krueger may come back, so stay with Kristen. I'll stop Daniel…assuming I can. He's grown quite powerful over the past year, not to mention more violent."

"What about that Fright Knight that came with you? He gives me the creeps, but he could be helpful."

"He's in the ghost zone, trying to organize a resistance. Krueger terrifies the ghosts, so I sent him for…persuasion." He hugged Nancy briefly and flew off at top speed.

Finally, it's getting to the interesting part. By the way, if anyone figures out where I got Derek's last name, I'll dedicate a chapter to you. As always, please press that small button beneath this.


	7. Poison

**Well, I got the last part of one of the final chapters written. Obviously, I won't tell you what it has, or too much will be spoiled, so just enjoy this one. Thanks to all you reviewed!**

**Vlad flew out of Fenton Works, trying to find some trace of Daniel. Unfortunately, he had no idea where to begin. Amity Park was a big place and he no longer had any way to track him. "I've got to try, though." Vlad muttered. "I'm not sure what Daniel will do if he finds Derek, but I know it will not be pleasant." The boy had grown very angry ever since Maddie's death. While it brought him and Jack close together, it isolated Danny from nearly everyone. He recognized signs of hate easily, having once been consumed by it himself. **

**He floated a thousand feet above the city, looking for a speeding object that could only be Daniel, only to be blasted from behind. He groaned and spun around. He saw over 20 GIW in vehicles floating next to him. "Vlad Masters, A.K.A. Vlad Plasmius, stop where you are!" One of them ordered. Vlad turned around, his hands glowing, but not quite ready to fight.**

"**What do you want from me?" He demanded. He'd give them the chance to leave peacefully, but if they didn't…they had only themselves to blame. **

"**Personally, I would want your head on a pike, and your body ripped apart by our technology." One of the agents replied angrily. "However, our orders are different."**

"**What are they? Out with it!"**

"**Sigh, we have a proposal from the Mayor of Amity Park and the approval of the Attorney General of the GIW." Another agent explained. "It offers you amnesty for your crimes in return for your assistance."**

"**And what would that be? I'm quite aware that your price will not be cheap."**

"**Affirmative; item 1 would be to eliminate the level 15 ectoplasmic menace infesting Amity Park." The commander stated. "I believe you know him as Freddy Krueger."**

"**Yes, I do; I don't doubt I know more about him than you do."**

"**True, and…we find it highly unlikely that we could destroy him permanently. You and Danny Phantom…Fenton, I should say, may be able to accomplish this. We will give you any equipment or personnel you require."**

"**Then they must be desperate…" Vlad muttered to himself. "Generous as that may be, I have a few terms of my own. Firstly, no harm is to come to Daniel or anyone he cares about."**

"**Of course; he has been classified as benevolent. Not something I thought we'd ever do, but things change."**

"**Number 2: I want complete access to my entire fortune and any equipment you took when your goons ransacked my lab. Number 3: I want half a dozen of your agents to accompany me." **_**This ought to make them think about being betraying me. Not fun, but it's necessary. **_

"**I suppose we can arrange that, but you realize this will take some time to accomplish."**

"**Don't give me that crap; I know a delaying tactic when I hear one. Now you can either accept my terms, or you can forget about my help." Vlad duplicated into 3, aiming at some of the vehicles.**

**Reluctantly, the agent nodded. "We accept the terms; we have to stop Krueger soon or there will be an even worse massacre than the xenomorph crisis."**

"**And you're real concerned about the people? More like worrying about the public outcry when they find out your organization is nothing but a waste of taxpayer dollars. We have a bargain; now leave." They flew off, leaving a satisfied Vlad behind. **_**Thankfully, they didn't notice the other duplicate putting a tracker on their equipment. Jack really is brilliant when it comes to those sort of things. Now to make sure Daniel doesn't destroy Amity trying to find Featherston. **_**That was an exaggeration, but considering how fast he was progressing, it wouldn't be for long.**

"**Vlad!" he heard a voice scream. Startled, he summoned power in his mind, but calmed down when he realized it was Jazz. "What is going on here?"**

"**I'm not really sure myself, Jasmine, but your brother has apparently lost control." Vlad replied. "Would you mind telling me your story?"**

"**Well, Derek and I were about to…you know." Jazz waved her hand and Vlad nodded in understanding. "he went to the bathroom to freshen up, though I think it was because he was obvious, but when he came out…I said something to him and he went off."**

"**And what do you mean by that?" Vlad knew perfectly well what it was, based on her injuries, but he had to know Jasmine's opinion to find out how much damage Freddy had caused.**

"**I made a joke and he…slapped me. I asked him what was going on and he started pounding me, laughing. I finally managed to break free and get out of the house. I don't understand why Derek would do this, but…I love him, but I'm not going to put up with abuse."**

"**Jasmine, was there anything else odd that you noticed?"**

"**Well, I could have heard screaming just before Derek came out, and I don't know what it was. This is strange. Derek's lost his temper before but he's never come close to hitting me. The only way he would have lost it to that extent is…Krueger!"**

"**Yes, precisely. He used this little ploy to divide us. I've seen him do it before, and I figured out his ploy when I saw the smirk. I know you quite well, Jasmine."**

"**Then why did you ask me if you already knew?"**

"**I had to figure out how much damage Krueger's trick has caused. If you believed it as well, and I see you initially did, we would be in a great deal of trouble. Hell, we still are."**

"**Come on, we better warn Dad and Danny."**

"**Well, unfortunately, there's a problem with that. Krueger put on a show in front of your family and convinced them he tried to…rape you. I realized the trick for what it was because I am well aware that you are not dependent on a man for happiness and would not tolerate such behavior."**

"**All the more reason to get to Fentonworks and tell them that it isn't true…well, I'm not sure how to explain the bruises but that's another worry. That is, unless there is something you haven't told me."**

"**Sigh, currently Daniel is searching for your boyfriend and most likely intends to make sure he suffers a slow, painful death. As for Jack, he has called the police and I do not know about the others. We'd better find Derek and hope Daniel does not find him first."**

"**Yeah, but there's another thing. The police are going to arrest him. I mean, this may be Amity park, but we can't exactly say that I was beaten by a demon look-alike trying to rip us apart."**

"**Let's worry about that after we stop Daniel from becoming a murderer."**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Danny flew through the air, thinking of all the ways he intended to rip Derek apart. **_**Should I break his bones one at a time or slowly burn him alive? Oh, well, I can decide when I find him. **_**He carried Sam and Tucker, despite his protests. He knew they would follow him, no matter what, so it was pretty pointless to have them stay behind. **

**He flew to Derek's house, looking inside and dropping his friends gently on the ground. "Where are you, you fucker?" Danny muttered. "Come on, face me like a man." **

"**Danny, are you sure this is a good idea?" Sam worried. "He could surprise us here." **

"**Yeah, I'm sure it is." Danny snarled. "I want him to show up. He'll be begging for death before I'm through. It's going to be very slow, very agonizing. I'm going to spill every last drop of blood in his body." He looked through the living room and hallway, opening one of the doors.**

**Inside his bedroom, it looked ordinary at first sight. That is, until he noticed the blood on the carpet. "Hey, Danny, take a look at the blanket." Tucker stated. "There's some blood on here too. It looks like you were right."**

"**Hold on just a second; something doesn't quite make sense here." Sam cautioned, but Danny refused to listen. He picked them up and charged out of the room, more furious than ever. "You know, he could be anywhere."**

"**Shut up, sammy-kins!" Danny exclaimed, dropping them onto a building. He flew through the streets, frantically searching for his enemy. That is, until he noticed something on the building he dropped his friends on. **

**He flew over there immediately and there stood Derek, looking quite calm in the face of three angry teenagers. "Have anything to say for yourself?" Sam demanded. True, Danny was going to pay for calling her sammy-kins, but that could wait. **

"**Give us one very good reason why we shouldn't beat the shit out of you right here." Tucker glared at him.**

"**I imagine you won't listen to my protests of innocence, especially Danny Phantom up there." Derek frowned. "You never do; you assume I'm guilty because you want to, but that doesn't matter. Make your move."**

**Sam and Tucker stepped forward, while Danny was barely able to restrain himself from vaporizing him. The only reason he didn't was because he worried about hitting Sam and tucker as well. Derek stepped forward while Tucker threw a punch. Derek dodged to the side and grabbed his arm, easily flipping him over.**

**Sam gulped. Derek always had a temper, but until now, never tried taking it out physically. That grin on his face, though…even after everything she went through over the years, it chilled her blood. Tucker kicked him in the back of the leg, knocking him down, while Sam took the opportunity to kick him in the face with her combat boots.**

**Nonetheless, he got up, blood trickling down his face. Except for that, you wouldn't even notice he was injured from the way he was acting. Tucker aimed a kick to his stomach, but it was easily caught. This time, however, he dislocated it, sending Tucker to the ground. He screamed, tears filling his eyes. Before Sam could react, he grabbed her by the neck, holding her in front of Danny.**

"**Let her go, Featherston!" Danny screamed furiously.**

"**Have you ever lost a friend, Fenton?" Derek asked, not answering the question. Sam aimed a kick to the groin, but he dodged and squeezed tighter in warning. "I have; more times than you can imagine. Have you ever been surrounded by people who despise you, with no support and no possible escape? And after all that, I have you try to rip away one of the only good things in my life."**

"**Shut up, Featherston!" Danny exclaimed. "I don't blame people for betraying you, you worthless sack of shit! You deserved everything that happened to you, even if you were innocent." While this was going on, Danny was slowly coming up with a plan. **

"**How about enduring stalking accusations because you have an ability most fools consider impossible? I was considered guilty without a second thought; nobody bothered to consider the fact I might be innocent. Any potential friendships I had were destroyed thanks to that little cunt." He ignored Sam's squawk on outrage. "You ever had someone close to you rip your heart into 1000 pieces? The great Danny Phantom? What a joke; you don't know what hell is. You don't know what it is to face a great burden alone. I've had more than….AAAAAAAAAAAA!" Danny's duplicate turned Sam intangible, freeing her, and punched Derek in the jaw with all his strength. **

"**Not half of what he deserved." Danny glared at Derek's lifeless form. "Sam, are you okay?"**

"**Yeah…I'll live." Sam coughed. "He didn't hold me real tightly. I never imagined he could be so strong. It felt like he could kill me without half trying."**

"**Well, we don't have to deal…" Derek got back on his feet, still with his cold glare. Danny stared in shock; that punch should have at least broken his jaw, if not his skull. **

"**Nice try, Fenton, but I'm not alone any longer." Derek smiled. "I think it's time for me to introduce you to my better half." Black substance covered his body and when it was finished, he looked completely different. **

"**What the hell are you?" Danny hissed, but looking nervous for the first time.**

"_**We're the product of your persecution, Fenton." **_Derek laughed. _**"We are Poison!" **_He launched an ectoplasmic blast and Danny, too stunned to evade, was hit in the chest, sending him several hundred feet. He shook his head, trying to recover, but Poison was on him in an instant, delivering several punches to his body. Danny was slammed into the ground, forming a concrete crater.

However, he got up, looking at Poison furiously. He charged forward, hands glowing with power. Poison easily avoided and sent a kick into his spine. Danny spun around, trying to get his bearings, only to be punched in the jaw, sending him into a streetlight.

_Okay, this isn't good. _Danny thought. Whatever Derek had become, he was a dangerous enemy and not to be taken lightly. Danny dodged the ecto-blasts, maneuvered between them, and delivered an uppercut using all his strength. Poison's head snapped back, as he spun around for several seconds. Danny fired ecto and ice blasts, wanting to keep him on the defensive.

It didn't last long, though. In spite on the onslaught, Poison grabbed his arm and flipped him over, burying his feet into Danny's gut. Danny managed to recover in time to avoid hitting the ground again, but he was winded and beyond that, afraid. His attacks weren't doing much to him. _Okay, it's a bad idea to fight him physically. _He flew up, avoiding more energy blasts.

"_**Fight us, Fenton!" **_Poison screamed. He charged towards Danny, only to slam into an ecto-shield. Danny kicked him in the chest and launched ice blasts in his direction, trapping him. Just before he hit the ground, Poison managed to free himself and flew back in the air, charging towards Danny. Danny duplicated into 4, hiding his copies.

"Is that it?" Danny laughed, trying to distract him. "You'll have to do better than that to beat me."

"_**Do you take us for fools, Fenton?" **_Poison grinned, his fangs glinting in the sunlight. _**"We know you have a trap set up for us, but it won't help you. Nothing will!" **_Poison floated there, waiting for Danny. The latter fired several token shots, more to distract him than anything else. Losing patience, Poison fired several shots, all of them missing Danny but damaging the nearby buildings. Danny's duplicates charged up energy and launched it. Poison anticipated the move, but was nonetheless hit by two of the duplicates. They hit him with a constant stream of energy, causing real damage for the first time. The other 2 Dannys conjured ecto-swords and sped towards him.

By this time, Poison had managed to dive away from the ecto-stream and barreled into the sword-wielding Dannys. He opened his mouth and bit one hard on the arm, refusing to let go. The remaining 3 fired ice blasts, forcing him to let go, but not before almost half a pound of flesh was torn off. The duplicate disappeared while the original Danny hissed in pain. It may have been only a copy, but he still felt it. All three of Poison's remaining opponents had a sword and shield, ready for his next attack.

Laughing, Poison grew claws nearly a foot long and razor sharp on each of his fingers. He sped towards him, slashing at everything he could reach. Even with 3 of them, Danny had a difficult time dealing with the ferocity. He was cut in the stomach, thankfully not too deep. His duplicates tried furiously to defend themselves, while Danny launched eye beams into his face. Growling, Poison tried to recover his vision, but Danny wasn't about to let him recover.

Danny fired his ghostly wail for several seconds, throwing him back and causing gashes in Poison's body. His two duplicates flew to the offensive the instant he stopped, one of them burying his sword into Poison's stomach and the other chopping off his left hand at the elbow. Poison screamed in pure agony, trying to stop the bleeding, but before he could, the original Danny charged into him, sending him into the ground. Poison struggled to break free but after his injuries and the fact he was held in place by all three, he hit the ground at close to 100 MPH.

Danny recalled his duplicates and fired more ecto-energy into the crater. When he was satisfied, he draw his sword and went inside, intending to finish him. That is, until he was tackled from behind, falling on his face. When he got up, he saw a woman standing in front of Poison. "Move aside, woman." Danny exclaimed. Sam would kill him if she heard that, but thankfully she was out of the line of fire.

"Not a chance, Phantom." She glared. "If you want him, you'll have to fight me first."

She wasn't bad looking and Danny would likely find her attractive if the situation wasn't so serious. "Why are you defending that worthless piece of shit?" Danny demanded, raising his sword and charging up an ecto-blast. "Move aside or you will join him in death!"

"Then you'll have to kill me." The woman glared, not moving an inch. "I'm not going to abandon my brother."

_Never knew Derek had a sister. _Danny thought. _Oh, well, I warned her. If she wants to die to protect that worthless fuck, so be it._

"_**Stand aside, Alexis. This fight is between us." **_Poison got up, glaring at Danny. His stump of an arm was slowly healing and growing back. He was obviously in great pain, but determined to finish the fight. _**"I'm not done yet, Fenton, and you'll pay dearly for threatening Alexis!"**_

"Derek, come on, there's no point to this fight." Alexis pleaded. "And I'm not going to abandon you. I've never done it yet, and I'm not about to start now."

"Fine, it's your funeral." Danny rolled his eyes, backhanding her. Furious Poison charged into him, throwing him into buildings, cars, anything he saw. Danny kicked him in the face, buying him a few seconds, but it wasn't enough. More furious than ever, Poison unleashed a deadly hailstorm of energy. Danny dodged as well as he could and put up a shield to block the ones he couldn't evade, but it wasn't enough to escape his wrath. Poison twisted his arm, dislocating his shoulder and kicking him in the face.

But Danny wasn't out of the fight yet, either. As Poison attacked again, he was hit in the side with a white ecto-blast. Furious, he turned around and saw Nancy and Danielle floating next to him.

"What are you two doing here?" Danny asked.

"We came to help you, of course." Nancy rolled her eyes. "I tried to stop Danielle from coming, but there was no way she was staying behind."

"Of course not; I'll always stand behind my cousin!" Danni exclaimed.

"_**Too cowardly to fight me alone, Fenton?" **_Poison screamed. _**"I don't care how many of you there are! You bitches have one chance to haul your worthless carcasses out of the battlefield. This is between me and Fenton!" **_

However, Poison was hit from behind by a powerful stream of energy. Vlad had arrived on the scene with Jasmine holding onto his neck. "You never were any good at staying out of trouble, Daniel." Vlad smirked. "I hope you girls found Derek before Daniel did, since neither of us had any luck. We heard a battle in the distance and decided you could use our help."

"That is Derek, cheese head!" Danny stated, not taking his eyes off his enemy.

"What?" Jazz protested. "That's impossible!"

The substance retreated, revealing Derek's face. "It's quite possible, Jasmine." Derek explained. "This symbiote saved my life after the xenomorph invasion and when I learned both of us hated your brother, well…I decided to accept a more permanent bond. Apparently replacing him as the town hero didn't work out."

"Why the hell did you do this?" Jazz demanded. "You know I still love you, but there's no excuse for doing this."

"Your brother forced this on me." Derek protested. "Even after I accepted the permanent bond, I considered being merciful for your sake. When Krueger trapped me and bragged out his intent, I knew I didn't have a choice. If I didn't act, Danny here would have killed me."

"Enough, children!" Vlad exclaimed as Jazz was about to reply. "Let me remind you that we still have Krueger to deal with, so we can settle this little lover's spat later. We'd better come up with a plan."

"Forget it; I'm not working with him!" Danny yelled, pointing at Derek.

"For once, Fenton, we agree." Derek glared. _**"We can protect ourselves against Krueger; we don't need any of you. As for you, Fenton, the instant you hit our sister, you passed the point of no return. We aren't about to show you mercy now, not even for Jasmine."**_

Derek flew forward, grabbing Danny by the neck and squeezing. Before Danny could do anything, though, he disappeared. Vlad flew forward, kicking Derek in the back. "Enough; we don't have time for this right now! You can settle your…" Vlad disappeared as well.

XXXXXXX

Krueger grinned as the dream crystal glowed. Now that he had learned to control it, he was invincible! _Let's see…the two idiot hybrids are already here, but let's not forget their pathetic friends. Kristen and Vlad are the last of the Elm Street children, even though that title doesn't really apply anymore._

Krueger dragged Nancy, Kristen, Danielle, Sam, Tucker, Jack, Derek, Valerie, and Danielle to the dream world. Now that their forces were divided, they were easy prey. "I look forward to feeding off their misery!" Spectra laughed. Ever since their recent partnership, she was more powerful and sadistic than ever.

"Yes, and I look forward to finishing those pathetic little brats!" Krueger exclaimed. True, the dream demons warned him that Danny Phantom was not to be underestimated but now that he had the crystal, he would be no threat. "Remember, though: Masters belongs to me."

"Oh, of course." Spectra grinned, her body glowing with power. "Let's see how much power I can drain from their little lover's spat. Pathetic teenagers, wasting their worthless lives."

"Why else do you think I played this game? Their emotions are fragile, easy to break." He hated all of them, but especially Jack and Vlad. "I have the perfect torment for them."

"Good; they can be powerful if allowed to attack at their full strength. I hope they are divided."

"Of course; you think I'm a fool?!" _Soon I won't need anyone, even the dream demons. I will be completely independent and unstoppable. I may have been helpless in the past, but not now. Never again!_

He grinned and waved his hand, turning the lights on. In the room, there were more than 100 duplicates of Freddy Krueger, all of them with the same sadistic grin. "Interesting trick, isn't it?" Freddy chuckled. "Perhaps I should thank Masters for demonstrating it for me…nah. Let's see who we should destroy first."

"Bertrand, get over here!" He flew to Spectra's side, in the form of a ninja. "We'll hunt them down and feed off their misery. That'll give you ample time to finish them off! And I know the perfect one to begin with."

Little did Krueger know, however, that he had made a big mistake in his actions.

Finally, I got this thing up! I have to worry about papers and finals in my classes, so I probably should be working on them. I have a 12 chapter outline for this story, so 5 more chapters to go!

Warning: there will be character death in the next chapter.


	8. Victorious opposition

"Hey, Vlad, where are we?" Jazz asked as they walked searching for the others.

"I believe we're in Krueger's world." Vlad replied. "How he dragged us here when we were still awake…I wish I knew. However he managed it, though, it's a disturbing sign. He's a lot stronger than the last times I fought him. He must have killed a lot of people to manage this. Keep your eyes open."

"I know, Vlad." Jazz rolled her eyes. "Still, he's not as powerful as he wants us to believe. Otherwise, he wouldn't try to separate us. Sigh, Derek won't be happy when I find him."

"May I suggest holding off on the drama until we get out of here? Besides, I thought you knew he was innocent."

"Yeah, but I can't deal with this anymore. He's a good person, deep down, but I can't watch him destroy himself."

"Yes, I can understand that. Sigh, this is the last thing we need at the moment." _However, Daniel will probably destroy him first. _As they continued walking, the area darkened. It looked much like Amity, except it was deserted. Vlad transformed to Plasmius, picked Jazz up, and looked around. However, they found no signs of life.

They heard screams in the distance. However tempting it was to fly in their direction, Vlad was well aware that it could be one of Krueger's tricks. Jazz squirmed in his grip, trying to get there, but Vlad refused to let go. "Calm down, Jasmine." Vlad instructed. "We'd better find the others before we try going on the offensive."

"and what if one of my friends is being killed?"

"and if it's a trap for us? Sigh, I have no good answers for you, Jasmine. We're playing by his rules and he knows this place much better than any of us. Firstly, I suggest that we…" Vlad was hit in the back several times, spinning around. He put a shield around himself and Jasmine, managing to deflect further attacks. Vlad charged up energy in his hands, waiting for the next assault.

But it never came. In fact, there was no evidence that Krueger was ever around. That is, except for the burns on his back. "What was the point of all that?" Jasmine asked shakily. She had barely managed to hang on to Vlad while under attack.

"I'm not sure either. However, if I had to guess, he's trying to keep us off our balance instead of doing us any real harm…yet. Sigh, how are we going to find them?"

"Look, Vlad, we may end up having to risk a trap. I don't really want to, but do you have any better options?"

Much as he hated to admit it, Vlad didn't. He nodded and flew to the ground, dropping Jasmine gently. "I promise you, Krueger will lose. Still, why is he moving so soon? A better plan would have been to let Daniel and Derek fight among themselves for a while, letting him build up his power. So why did he move prematurely?" _There's something to his plan that we don't see, but what is it?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You know, I never thought I'd be working with a ghost." Valerie told Nancy with a chuckle. "I wonder if this is the dream world of Amity Park Krueger's created."

"I'm not sure, but it's definitely a possibility." Nancy replied. "That would explain why it's deserted at the moment, anyway. Sigh, we'd better have a way to finish Krueger for good. Considering how powerful he's become, if we fail this time, they'll be no stopping him. You have any way to find the others?"

"No, I don't; that's not one of my dream powers."

"I'll do my best, then. I suggest finding Sam and Tuck first; they're the most vulnerable, apart from Kristen. Come on, we better keep moving." They continued walking through the streets. Several minutes later, they saw something. "Hey, guys, I need help! Krueger's going to get me!"

"That's Danny!" Valerie gasped. "We have to go help him!"

"Wait, Valerie; this could be a trap!" But Nancy's protests fell on deaf ears as she sprinted towards the voice. Reluctantly, Nancy followed. They sped into a building, which immediately shut behind them. "What did I tell you? It was a trap!"

"Look, we've got to find danny!" Valerie wasn't in the mood for argument. "Danny, where are you?"

"I'm right here!" "Danny" smiled. He looked just like Danny except that he had Krueger's knives. Before he could say anything else, Valerie jumped up and kicked him in the neck.

"What have you done with him?" Valerie demanded.

"Oh, nothing…yet." Krueger smiled, now in his true form. Nancy advanced cautiously while Valerie attacked furiously. He dodged her attack, striking with his knives, but fell back when Nancy hit him in the chest with an ecto-blast. "What a shame; you don't play nice. It looks like I'll have to invite a few friends." The girls looked around and saw 4 more Kruegers surrounding them, all with the same wicked grin. "Have fun, ladies." He disappeared.

"Well, this isn't good." Valerie gulped. Nancy floated in front of her, fists glowing with power. One of the Kruegers swung his knives, only to be blocked by Valerie. He threw several more attacks, but all of them were easily deflected or dodged. Valerie punched him in the gut, sending him into the others, surprised at how easy it was.

She charged into the group, hitting everyone she could reach. Nancy fired an ecto-blast in one of the copies' faces, using the distraction to rip off his glove. Krueger still kept his evil grin as he continued to fight, but what struck Nancy's mind is how weak he seemed to be.

Valerie, on the other hand, was winning the fight even though it was 3 against 1. "Come on, can't you do any better?" Valerie taunted. The 3 Kruegers charged again, getting in each other's way. Valerie jumped behind them, kicking 2 into the head. _These guys are acting like the three stooges; I don't understand it. Well, I'm not going to complain. _One of them slashed her arm, thankfully not cutting deeply. She ducked under another swipe, kicking him in the chest, knocking him into the other two. Taking the offensive, she kicked one of them hard enough to remove his head; he promptly stopped moving.

The remaining two continued their assault, but Valerie's martial arts skills paid off. The few blows they delivered only caused minor injury. She grabbed one of their arms, breaking it. The uninjured copy swung his knives, but Valerie back-flipped onto a nearby ledge, beckoning him forward. She took out her knives, kicking herself for not doing it before.

The instant Krueger moved, she jumped off the ledge and buried her knives into his neck. The injured copy tried to get away, but she quickly finished him off as well. Valerie turned to help Nancy, only to see that she had already won her battle. "Damn, that wasn't a tough fight at all." Valerie bragged.

Nancy was less optimistic. "I don't think he meant for it to be tough. This is more of an act of deception to use us a false idea of his power than to do us any real harm…yet."

"Well, when we find the others, we'll take him down!He's hunted children long enough."

"I agree, but it's not going to be easy. He gets stronger every time we fight him. Freddy's far beyond what he was when we defeated him the first time."

"When was that?"

"Almost 25 years ago now. Krueger was killing us in our dreams, and once we recognized what he was, I managed to defeat him along with Jack, Vlad, and Maddie. It's the reason the Fentons became obsessed with the supernatural."

"So how did he get back here?"

"Well, it's kind of Vlad's fault. He hadn't intended to do it, but…I better explain. 6 years later, we had to fight him again. I called Jack and Maddie when it became clear Freddy was still around, but they already had a baby and thus declined. I wish they hadn't, but looking back, I can't really blame them. I called Vlad, who eventually agreed to come.

"Unfortunately, Philip and Jennifer were already killed." Nancy stopped talking for a what, wincing at the memory. "I came up with the idea that each of the kids had dream powers that they could use to fight him. As did Vlad, or so I thought, since I didn't know of his half-ghost status at the time.

"We didn't have much chance to learn about them, though. Vlad told me about his accident and I spent the time taking care of the kids and trying to help him through his issues. Maybe I could have succeeded given enough time; we'll never know now.

"When Kristen was sedated after an outburst due to me being fired, we didn't really have a chance. It was originally going to be just me and Vlad, but the others insisted on coming along. Taryn and Will were killed before we could find each other, but we eventually got to his lair. At the same time, my father and Vlad's parents were going to bury Krueger's remains, hoping it would put an end to his power.

"It turned out that the kids were still to inexperienced with their abilities to do much good. Joey and Kincaid were killed as well, so it was just me, Kristen, and Vlad. We thought we defeated him, but I saw my father standing in front of me. Obviously, I ran to embrace him. Vlad tried to warn me, but by the time I learned it was Krueger, he had already stabbed me through the stomach.

"He went after Kristen, but I stopped him with my dying breath, allowing Vlad to finish him. To this day, I've never seen him so furious. Obviously, his parents were killed as well, and combined with my death, it set him over the edge. I've never told Jack any of this, because he'd just blame himself. There's a lot more to the story, but it's about as much as I can bring myself to tell you."

"Why didn't Krueger come back sooner, then?"

"Well, he tried to. I was still a spirit and when I learned he was going to prey on Springwood again, I confronted him in the ghost zone. I couldn't beat him, but I managed to seal him and myself into a lair, keeping him from escaping. Somehow, Vlad ended up there, and Krueger took the opportunity to escape, which is why we're here now."

They continued walking around, eventually finding a way out of the building.

XXXXXX

Danny, Sam, and Tucker were in the dream version of Casper High. "Great, we're still stuck here." Danny groaned. "Okay, come on, we can't linger."

"But this is confusing." Tucker protested. "How could there be 3 Krueger's at the same time? This is just plain frightening, even by our standards."

"Maybe they're like duplicates that Danny can create." Sam suggested.

"I'm not so sure." Tucker responded skeptically. "They seemed…different somehow."

"Very clever, boy, very clear." Krueger laughed, appearing in front of them. Unlike their other encounters, Krueger was now glowing with raw power. "You fools can't stop me; I have power beyond your imagination."

"And yet we still manage to beat you." Danny rolled his eyes. He fired a ghostly wail, knocking him back. He continued with a flurry of punches, kicks, and ecto-blasts. Strangely, though, Krueger wasn't affected.

"You see, boy? You can't hurt me; time to bring a few other playmates." He waved his hand, dragging Poison into the battle. He charged into Danny, slashing at him furiously, not giving him time to breathe. Sam kicked him in the back of the neck, only to be slapped aside. However, Danny was saved by, of all people, Poison.

"_**Fenton is ours and ours alone!" **_Poison proclaimed. _**"We're not about to let someone else destroy our prize!" **_He kicked Krueger across the face and sent a powerful ecto-blast into his torso. Before he could recover, Poison grabbed him by the neck and ripped off his head, throwing it into his body. _**"Pathetic; now for you, Fenton!"**_

"Enough, you two!" a voice exclaimed. It took them a while to realize it was Kristen. "Once Freddy's beaten, you guys can beat each other all you want, but until then, we have to work together."

"_**We're glad to see you're recovering, Kristen." **_Poison hissed._** "But we're more than capable of handling Krueger alone."**_

"So how do we find our way out of here?" Sam asked. "I doubt we can find the others without being lured into some sort of trap."

"Yeah, I know." Tucker sighed. "This place is like a maze. I still don't understand how he was able to drag us here. We weren't asleep."

"He's grown very powerful, but how?" Danny mused. "He must have found something to enhance his abilities."

"It's possible, but we don't have time to wonder just now." Kristen stated. "Look, I can sort of sense others if I get close enough to them. I can see through Freddy's tricks."

"_**How can you possibly do that?" **_Poison demanded.

"I've been held by him for close to a year." Kristen explained. "I know him pretty well by now." She froze, seemingly oblivious to the world.

"Kristen, wake up!" Tucker exclaimed.

"Oh, sorry, just…memories." Kristen shook her head. "Come on, we have to get out of here. I know how to drag people into m dreams, but I don't know how to throw them out."

"So do you sense anyone?" Danny asked.

"Well…I sense something, but it's a weak signal. I think it's that way." Danny carried Sam and Tucker, while Kristen grabbed Poison's neck. Danny looked rather dubious at the prospect, but Poison showed no desire to hurt her, so he decided to go along with it. They continued flying through the dream world, Kristen giving them directions. _**"We wanted to be an artist; why should we go through this?" **_Danny pretended not to hear them.

XXXXXXX

"Sigh, Krueger knows how to manipulate this world." Vlad complained. "Come on, Jasmine, I think I saw Jack."

"You know, it could be a trap." Jazz informed him. "You told me that before."

"I know, but I don't see any other way to find them. I don't have the ability to sense the others like I can detect ghosts. Follow me; we can't get separated." Jazz reluctantly followed him through the streets. Along the way, they saw Freddys walking around, some standing still. "This is weird; what does it mean?"

"I don't know, but we should really find the others."

"Hold on, Jasmine." It was almost like something was drawing him to…wherever it was. Vlad flew towards it at top speed, forgetting Jasmine entirely. "Damn it, why does this have such an effect on me?" He stopped, wondering where it was. His surroundings looked like everything else in the dream world.

Before Vlad knew it, he was hit by an orb over twice his size. He screamed and fell to his knees. When he opened his eyes, images flashed almost too quickly to see. Vlad noticed a devastated city…ghosts declaring war but on what, he didn't know. Images swirled around even fast until he saw one that was at least somewhat clear. It was a huge crowd yelling a slogan, but what, Vlad couldn't make out. He saw Amity Park, or at least he thought it was Amity. He gasped in horror at the sight of mangled bodies, some of them still alive.

It sped to another, where someone was screaming: "We still have vengeance!" The next was a fleet of planes dropping bombs, while others cursed in rage. Others were on the ground, firing into a panicking crowd. Vlad felt queasy, in spite of everything he had been through, but before it could sink again, the scene switched again.

He saw an assembly where someone he thought he recognized was speaking. It quickly turned into a chaotic scene where thugs were pouring into the crowd, bludgeoning anyone they could reach. "This is outrageous!" he heard a woman say, but they paid her no heed. He saw a mob of people waving flags and to his surprise, burning two people alive.

It turned to someone else on the microphone, but Vlad had no idea who it could be. The crowd went wild, cheering him on. _Where have I seen that before? _He saw Daniel surrounded by hundreds of enemies as he fought desperately to survive. It changed again to an entire city being destroyed by a nuclear weapon.

Vlad was thrown out of the orb, falling on his knees. He panted, having difficulty getting up. He was not physically tired, but mentally…his mind was still reeling from what he saw. _What does all that mean? I know some of it, but who were they? What was going on? Gasp…perhaps it's meant as a warning of the future. Still, I don't know what it means. _Weakly, Vlad tried to get back to Jasmine. He managed to get up in the air, but flew very slowly.

He heard Jasmine scream and managed to move a little faster. Vlad felt dizzy, weakening by the minute. Finally, he arrived and saw Krueger blasted into a wall. Jack and Danielle had managed to find her, and together, were managing to hold Krueger at bay. Vlad managed to fire an ecto-blast, hitting him in the chest, but it didn't even knock him down.

"Gotten soft, haven't we, Masters/" Krueger chuckled. He disappeared; Vlad turned around after a second, expecting to see him, but he was kicked in the back, falling back to his human form. Vlad got up, trying to force himself to fight, but his body was not responding.

"Get away from him!" Jack exclaimed, firing an ecto-cannon. Unlike in many occasions when he hunted ghosts, all his shots hit their mark. Danielle buried her feet into his face, as Krueger screamed in surprise.

"Jack, you have any weapons I can use?" Vlad asked.

"Sure, V-man, but what about your powers?" Jack wondered. "They're more effective than anything I have."

"They aren't responding ever since I saw…oh, never mind! Just give me something, you fat idiot!"

"Hey!"

"Sorry, Jack, old habit; hurry!" Danielle wasn't going to last much longer; Vlad saw that immediately. She wasn't nearly as powerful as Daniel, and even he had a difficult time against Krueger. She screamed as he fired an ecto-blast into her face. Unlike hers, though, it was shaped in the form of a claw. Jack gave Vlad an ecto-sword and he charged.

He swung wildly, forcing Krueger back. Danielle gasped in pain, nearly blind in one eye, but fought on nonetheless. Jack took out the Fenton Peeler and fired. Krueger groaned, but other than that, it had little effect on him. Their shock did not go unnoticed.

"I've grown far beyond what I was the last time we fought, fools." Krueger smiled. He took out a glowing crystal from his chest, fingering it. Before anyone could take it away, he stuck it back in. "It's something I took from that weakling Nocturne."

"It won't save you from us!" Vlad declared, but his words sounded hollow even to him.

"Oh, nothing going to save you from me, not even Danny Phantom." Krueger replied. _Soon I won't need those dream demons anymore; I will be invincible! _

Danielle kicked him in the stomach, burying her elbow into his nose. Krueger laughed, backhanding her. Jack immediately charged with the Fenton Saber, swinging wildly. Krueger ducked and blocked the attempts and countered with his glove. Vlad concentrated all his efforts, willing himself to forget his mental exhaustion, and managed to create an ecto-sword, jumping into the fight.

Jack Fenton was a man of exceptional strength and determination; that was likely the only reason he was able to fight on. Krueger's strength was far beyond human, which meant that each parry, each deflection aged him a decade. He panted as he wearily raised his blade, trying to counterattack, but Krueger laughed at his efforts. As he was prepared to deliver the final blow, Vlad intervened, cutting off Krueger's arm. He simply chuckled as it regenerated.

"I am forever, Masters!" Krueger laughed. "They promised me, and because of their promise, nothing you can do will stop me."

"We'll see about that!" Danielle exclaimed, firing ecto-blasts. Jack attacked from the left, Danielle from the right, while Vlad charged straight towards him. Together, they managed to drive him steadily back, forcing him to work furiously to keep them at bay.

"I thought you were invincible?" Vlad quipped, as he vaporized one of Krueger's legs. He fell to the ground, and Jack and Danielle jumped and pummeled every inch of Krueger they could reach. Vlad grabbed his right arm, preventing him from using his glove, and with a powerful ecto-beam, cut off the arm.

But all three of them were thrown off. Jasmine, who had been almost forgotten, fired another ecto-weapon into the back of Krueger's head. He laughed at her efforts, charging towards Vlad. He slammed into an ecto-shield, Vlad following up with powerful ghost stingers, trying desperately to bring him down. The logical part of his mind knew that Krueger was too powerful for this tactic to be effective, but he was too enraged for it too matter.

Krueger broke free and stabbed Jack in the stomach, twisting the knives. Jack screamed, trying to break away, but he couldn't break Krueger's grip. Danielle intervened, fired an ecto-blast into his eyes, and gave Jack the chance to break free. Before Krueger could recover, she launched a ghostly wail, ripping apart everything in the dream. Krueger struggled to stay where he was, gripping the cement with his knives, glaring furiously.

After around 15 seconds, Danielle fell to her knees, as her feet were beginning to melt. True, her stabilization was mainly effective, but her body was unable to endure that kind of power. Vlad knelt beside her, trying to see what he could do. She angrily pushed him away, still trying to get back on her feet.

Now livid, Krueger charged towards her, throwing Jack and Vlad out of the way. Vlad got to his feet immediately, but Jack found it nearly impossible to keep fighting because of the lack of blood. Krueger cut into Danielle's flesh, laughing at her screams of pain. Vlad charged forward, only to be surrounded by over a dozen copies of Krueger. Jazz moved forward as well, but Krueger completely ignored her.

Danielle kicked Krueger in the face, but it didn't even faze him. He backhanded her in retaliation and cut off her shirt, revealing her bare chest. Vlad fought frantically, realizing what he was going to do. However, the duplicate Kruegers kept him from doing anything. Grinning, he tore off the rest of her clothes, his blades cutting into her stomach, but there was one thing he overlooked.

In a last ditch effort, Jack barreled into Krueger, trying to hold him down. He swung his blades, nearly decapitating him. Jack gagged on his own blood for a few seconds and then collapsed. Danielle crawled in fear, unable to move quickly due to her injuries.

"Get away from her!" a voice screamed and an object slammed into Krueger. He looked into the face of a furious Danny Phantom and laughed. The others had managed to find each other and surrounded Krueger on all sides. Sam and Tucker used their dream powers, Nancy and Vlad their ecto-abilities, Valerie fired her weapons, while Danny plunged his hands into Krueger's body and activated his freezing ability, rapidly turning him into an ice cube. Kristen delivered a roundhouse kick, shattering the body.

"Nice try, fools, but you'll need to me a lot more powerful than that!" Krueger reappeared, laughing. He waved his hand and they saw thousands of Krueger duplicates surrounding them, all wearing the same wicked grin. "You like what I've done to the place? It won't be long before all of Amity Park is mine!"

"You'll never beat us, Krueger!" Vlad exclaimed, flying up to meet him.

"_**Agreed, Masters!" **_Poison laughed, tearing into the Krueger copies. _**"We're going to enjoy this fight! Come on; do your worst!"**_

The area erupted just as Vlad slammed his body into Krueger's. The two spun around in the air, each trying to get the upper hand. Vlad disappeared in mid-air, much to Krueger's fury. It took him several seconds to realize that Kristen dragged them back into the real world. "What does it matter?" Krueger laughed. "My plan is nearly complete!" This is when he begins the typical evil-villain laugh.

XXXXXXX

"Well, I'm glad we got out of that one." Danny breathed a sigh of relief. He heard a soft whimper from Danielle. "Look, Danni, it's all right; he can't hurt you anymore."

"I know this; I can handle this." Danielle retorted, trying to smile, but it came out strained.

"Look, guys, why don't I talk to her?" Sam suggested.

"I'll go to." Kristen added. "I know what it's like to be violated by that bastard." Tucker and Vlad shrugged helplessly.

"I'm sure she'll get through this." Nancy tried to look on the bright side of things. "We've got to stop Krueger, but how? I don't think dragging him here is going to work, not anymore. He's gotten too powerful for that."

"We better think of some kind of plan." Valerie nodded. "Hmm, he's got to have a weakness of some kind. It's a dream world, so we need to be able to use the world against him. Between all of us, we should have the willpower to do it."

"I hope so, but Dad…Danielle…" Danny bowed his head, trying not to cry. Valerie held him, giving what support she could. Nancy joined in, knowing what it was like to lose loved ones.

"Well, things may have just gotten worse." Vlad stated, putting down a note. "Stupid fool; is he completely out of his mind?" He handed the note to Danny.

_**Fenton, **_

_**We have Jasmine with us. Meet us at the old abandoned factory on the outskirts of town. It's time to end this; how this ends is entirely your choice. Rest assured, Jasmine will not be harmed. You've made us suffer for too long, Fenton! It's time to endure the consequences of your persecution.**_

_**Whether you survive…well, we'll see. Once we regain Jasmine, perhaps we'll be magnanimous. You took away one of the only decent thing in our lives! You don't understand how…**_ the rest of the sentence was scribbled over. _**Just get over here; you have 4 hours! We'll be waiting for you.**_

_**Poison**_

"Just what we need in a crisis; a lover's spat." Vlad sighed, shaking his head. Furious, Danny transformed, grabbing Tucker, Sam, and Valerie and flying off at top speed.

_I've got to help him…save him from himself. _Vlad mused. _I only hope it isn't too late for him._

I admit, I was originally going to have Danielle die in this chapter, but I was in an evil mindset, so I decided on this instead. I've already got chapter 9 written, and it's in my opinion, the darkest chapter of the entire story. But you judge for yourself.

P.S. I want reviews, people!!!!!!! They motivate me to keep writing. Have to admit, this story didn't go in the direction I planned, but oh, well.

Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Just press that little button down there; thank you for your time.


	9. The Death of Danny Phantom

"This is a fitting place for this fight, isn't it?" Sam remarked as they looked around the abandoned factory, nervously fingering the Fenton Peeler. "You know, if the situation wasn't so desperate, I might like this place."

"Sam, not now." Danny snapped, his hands glowing to give them light. "I hope he hasn't done anything to Jazz. If he has, I swear to god…"

"Calm down, Danny." Valerie cut in, her ecto-gun ready to fire. "That won't do us any good. We have to approach this logically. He wants us to be unbalanced and vulnerable."

"Maybe, but they could be anywhere." Tucker pointed out. "This is a big place, and it's pitch black. Danny, stop that glow; you said you can't detect him with your ghost sense. The same should apply to him." Danny reluctantly nodded and it went dim. Unfortunately, now they could no longer see. They held hands to keep from getting lost as they slowly walked through the place.

"This place gives me the creeps." Valerie whispered. "I hope we can find her; any ideas? Who puts a manufacturing plant in the middle of the woods, anyway?"

"let's listen carefully." Sam suggested. "I don't think Jazz would be a quiet hostage and…OW!" She stubbed her toe on the various scrap lying around. "Guys, I heard something."

"yeah, so did I." Danny added. "Come on!" in his ghost form, he was able to see in the dark to a certain degree, but the ability was far from protected.

"Derek, stop this, please!" they heard Jazz beg. "You don't have to do this; there's another way!"

"_**Not anymore, Jasmine!" **_Poison sighed. _**"Your brother gave us no other option because of what he did to us. Why did you separate yourself from us? We would never have hurt you; you know that."**_

"Derek, I know that, but for a minute, I really thought it was you. I'm sorry, but even though it's not logical, I can't help but feel a bit nervous around you. Let me go; you still have a choice. You don't have to go down this path. You don't have to become a villain."

"_**We are not the villain; your brother is! He has tormented and persecuted us as we have faced endless times in the past! We were helpless then, but not anymore! Danny ripped you away from us; you were all we had after our father's demise."**_

"It still doesn't justify what you're doing, Derek. Can't you see what you're becoming? Please, listen to reason! I don't want to see you like this; it breaks my heart."

"_**Our heart has already been shattered. How long will you keep making excuses for your brother? How many times has he hurt us, accusing us of abusing you? He wanted to believe it, wanted to believe the worst of us. How many times did you defend him?"**_

"Derek, please…"

"_**How many times?"**_

"Sigh, many. My brother's just overprotective of me after everything's that happened. I'm all he has left now."

"_**We asked you to defend us from him. Since you did not, we have had to take matters into our own hands."**_

"Are you going to kill him? Derek, please, if you do this, you'll lose yourself."

"_**That is up to him. No doubt he will be overjoyed at the prospect of our death."**_

"That's not true…" Danny had enough and flew towards Derek, kicking him in the chest. He spun around several times, but wasn't seriously hurt. Valerie shot him in the face, knocking him back further so he wouldn't be able to counterattack. Unfortunately, he recovered quickly and backhanded Danny into the wall.

"_**We knew you'd come here, Phantom." **_Poison chuckled. _**"Now our scheme is complete. As for your little friends, we will give them the chance to escape unharmed. This battle is between you and us, Fenton."**_

"We aren't leaving him, Featherston." Sam snapped. "I stand by my friends, not that you'd know what that means."

"Yeah, man, we aren't going to let you hurt Danny, and you've already hurt Jazz." Tucker added. Valerie decided to let her weapons do the talking. She activated her jet sled and started firing. Poison dodged most of the shots and his shield deflected what he couldn't.

"_**Be quiet, Samantha; you know nothing!" **_Poison hissed. _**"We haven't done anything to Jasmine, and your boyfriend deserves everything we've done and more! We've always respected you, Samantha, but if you continue your obstinacy, we have no choice." **_Poison fired several shots in her direction. Sam dived to the right, but one of them burned her leg. Ignoring the pain, she fired the Fenton Peeler. Unfortunately, it was a short range weapon and was not difficult to avoid.

Valerie shot poison in the head, following with more to the torso. Danny delivered a two-punch uppercut, sending him over 50 feet. Tucker fired his weapons as well, but Poison had recovered enough to dodge his shots. He growled furiously at the heroes, and launched lethal blasts towards them. Danny screamed at them to move, but they knew enough to get out of the way.

Danny used his ice powers, throwing spears which pierced some of the weaker metal, but none of them hit their intended target. _**"This is pathetic, Phantom! **_Poison screamed. _**"Can't you fight without your little friends to help you? You'll pay for interfering with us!"**_

Valerie and Tucker fired more shots, all of which Poison, but they led him right into Danny's attack. He kicked Poison across the jaw, his eyes burning with anger and determination, and grabbed his arm, breaking it. Danny was backhanded into the wall, following with a powerful ecto-blast, sending him through the metal. Poison healed his arm and hissed furiously.

Sam fired her weapons, while Valerie and tucker worked on getting Jazz free. Poison laughed, dodging her shots with ease. He flew close to her, grabbing the Peeler out of her hand. He put his other hand on her neck, squeezing. Sam struggled and kicked him in the gut with her boots, but it was like hitting titanium. _**"We gave you a chance to leave; you've brought this on yourself!" **_Poison snarled, pulling her closer. Sam was terrified, but did her best to hide it. _**"What has he done to deserve a friend like you? Why can't we find someone as loyal? Why did you fuckers have to tear away one of the only good things in our lives? Answer us!"**_

"Fuck you!" Danny shouted, punching Poison with all his strength. His hand stung, but it didn't matter to him. Poison was forced to release Sam as he tried to defend himself from Danny's onslaught. Danny used his ice powers to form knives and rip through Poison's body. He screamed as the substance covered the wounds, but Danny didn't intend to let him go, kicking him into a container.

Danny landed on the ground, struggling to get in control of his anger. Still, for the first time, he had done Poison some real harm in this battle. Jazz stepped in between them, trying to stop everything, giving him a chance to catch his breath.

"Stop this, now!" she demanded, looking at Derek. "Don't you know what you're doing? One of your shots almost hit me!" Poison looked guilty, the substance revealing Derek's face. "This isn't getting anywhere; none of this is Danny's fault! It was just something that happened?"

"Really? Was breaking my wrist just something that happened?" Derek declared, walking towards Danny. Jazz stood in front of Derek, refusing to move. Had he wanted to, he could have easily shoved her out of the way, but her words had gotten to him. "I hate you, Fenton, more than I've ever hated anyone!"

"You hurt my sister, you beat her up!" Danny screamed. "We all saw it!" Jazz tried to make herself heard, but Danny ignored her. "You don't deserve Jazz, you don't deserve friends, and you don't deserve love!" Tears rolled down Derek's eyes, giving him a sense of satisfaction, but the symbiote re-covered him.

"_**How dare you, Phantom?" **_Poison screamed._** "How dare you judge us after everything we've been through?! You understand nothing!"**_

"You'll pay for what you've done, Featherston!" Danny screamed. Poison growled, tackling Danny and throwing him through the roof of the factory. He followed and an aerial duel took place. Each were furious at the other, and Danny was holding back less and less, discovering he had much more power than he believed.

The others watched the duel, unable to do anything. Sam and Tucker's weapons had limited range, while Jazz was unarmed and Valerie was hesitant to get between the combatants. Jazz looked sadly as she watched her former boyfriend and brother do their best to rip the other apart. "I wish none of this was happening." Jazz said with tears in her eyes. "I can't believe how foolish both of them have been. I suppose I can understand why Derek's so furious, but he actually bonded with an organism to get revenge on Danny! I loved him, and I still do, but he's dying. Danny's not exactly blameless in this conflict, either."

"He made his choice, Jazz." Sam glared. "He didn't have to take this path; he chose to get revenge."

"Yeah, I better get over there right now." Valerie gulped, especially since ecto-blasts were hitting the ground, setting the woods on fire. It brightened up the area, allowing them to see the devastation. "Damn, I don't want to do this, but I have to help Danny." She activated her jet sled and flew up to assist. More ecto-blasts crashed onto the ground, starting more fires and one coming dangerously close to Sam and Tucker.

"I can't even tell who they're coming from; there's just moving too fast." Tucker complained, aiming his weapon although it wouldn't do any good. By now, almost the entire place was on fire and many of the nearby trees were ignited. Both of them knew they were rapidly becoming trapped. They ran as the fire burned. Thankfully, there was no wind, but even so it was not easy to escape.

They had gotten about 300 yards when a green orb crashed in front of them. Danny slowly got up, covered in blood, while Poison grinned in triumph, although his injuries were considerable. Valerie kept attacking, but he didn't consider her more than a nuisance.

"Get away from him!" Sam screamed, firing the Fenton Peeler. Poison screamed, but forced himself out of its path in a couple of seconds. Faster than her eyes could move, he was in front of her, grabbing her wrists painfully tight.

"_**How touching: you're defending your pathetic boyfriend!" **_Poison hissed. _**"You had your chance to get away, bitch." **_He punched her in the jaw, knocking Sam unconscious. Poison had no wish to kill her, only Danny. Danny got up and looked furiously into Derek's eyes, but holding his side painfully.

"You haven't beaten me yet, Featherston." He gasped out. Tucker kneeled down, looking at Sam. She had a purple bruise on her face, but was not seriously injured. Poison and Danny flew back up, continuing the fight, although it was obvious that Danny was getting the worst of it.

Poison launched an attack strong enough to potentially destroy Danny, but he managed to get out of its path. Unfortunately, it barreled straight into Valerie and although it was an indirect hit, it was more than enough for a mortal blow. She was blown back almost a mile, her jet sled and costume torn to shreds. Danny sped after her, eventually managing to break her fall. The attack ignited a huge bout of flame, bigger than any of the others and spread everywhere. Danny held Valerie in his arms, trying to get a good look at her injuries.

"You'll be fine, Valerie." Danny lied. "We'll get you to a hospital and they'll be able to help."

"You're lying, Danny." Valerie smiled weakly. "I know when you're lying to me. I don't think…I'm going to make it."

"You Won't die; I won't let you!" He took off her jumpsuit. Normally, seeing her without much on would be awkward, but he had no time to worry about it. He felt her hand going limp, and panicked. He looked at her wounds and the more he saw, the more horrified he became. He conjured a knife and was about to link their veins together, but he no longer felt a pulse. He held her and cried, wishing none of this happened, wanting to be anywhere but where he was.

"_**We were wondering where you were, Fenton!" **_Poison laughed. _**"We dealt with your friends and now it's your turn. **_Danny flew up to fight, but was in too much emotional turmoil to put up much of a struggle. Finally, he decided to flee and hide inside the factory, while Poison eagerly perused, describing in detail how he would rip him apart.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Well, this isn't exactly what I intended. _Danny thought to himself as he hid from Poison. _Damn, how is he so strong? And more important, how can I beat him? _The others weren't going to be any help. Valerie was dead, Sam and Tucker were unconscious, and Jazz was restrained. _At least he didn't kill them; guess he's saving all his hate for me._

"_**You can't hide from us forever, Fenton; we'll find you." **_Poison chuckled. While Danny couldn't detect him with his ghost sense, the reverse was also true. He kept his breathing as quiet as he could, though Danny feared Poison could hear his pounding heart.

Fortunately, the abandoned factory had plenty of places for him to hide. He ducked under an old forklift that was covered in dust, while Poison flew overhead. He breathed a soft sigh of relief. Featherston may have been more powerful, but Danny had more skill.

"How much more of this can I take?" Danny asked himself sadly. "Danni and Dad were killed by Krueger; so was Mr. Lancer. I never got along with him, but he never deserved what Krueger did to him. Damn it, if Featherston hadn't done this, they would still be alive. With me, him, and Vlad, we could finish Krueger permanently!" The fact that his treatment of Derek may have caused this never occurred to him. Once he discovered that he spoke too loudly, he clapped his hands over his mouth, but it was too late.

"_**Foolish Danny Fenton; you're not as smart as we thought you were." **_Poison laughed. _**"We'll find you, that we promise. You brought this upon yourself." **_Danny stayed silent, knowing he was simply trying to goad him out. _**"The symbiote only wanted to make you stronger, become your friend, but you rejected us! You did not give Derek a chance, either, wanting to believe the worst, and thus, we were born, Fenton!"**_

Danny crawled slowly away, not daring to even breathe. He slowly moved behind several pipes sufficient enough to hide him. He heard Poison's steps around the area, as he hissed in anger. _**"We must admit, Fenton, we envy you! You have friends that will follow you no matter what; we never had a such a thing! You inspire loyalty among your companions, we admit. Why did you have to take Jasmine away from us? She was among the only decent thing in our lives, and you ruined it! You simply can't stand to see us happy, can you?**_

"_**Since you're too cowardly to play with us, Fenton, we'll play with your friends! We wonder how much they'll enjoy that, but first, we have to wake them up! We wonder how your dear friends will react to hear that you're a coward. Let's see what Samantha does when we decide to play. We wonder what we can do with her, since you aren't willing to play with us; perhaps she will be." **_Danny clenched his fists in rage. If Derek decided to turn his sadism on his friends…

"NO!" Danny screamed, appearing and kicked Poison across the jaw. Not giving him a chance to recover, he continuously fired powerful ecto-blasts into his chest, ripping through the metal railing and floors. They were of such power that ordinarily he would feel pain because of the burns on his hands, but not now.

Poison was taken by surprise and tried to get himself coordinated, but the advantage was Danny's and he was pressing it. He fired more blasts, a ghostly wail that shook the whole building and sent pieces of the roof crashing to the ground. "You'll never touch them!" Danny promised, taking his attack to an even higher level. Poison fired a blast of his own, throwing him off-course for a second, but did nothing more because now Danny felt nothing. Like Krueger, he had discovered the "secret of pain".

He grabbed Poison's legs, shocking him and throwing him into the wall, causing more metal to come loose. Poison fired an ecto-stream ripping into Danny's body, causing burns, bleeding, and removing what little remained of his costume. However, Danny didn't scream, he didn't stop, or even give any sign that he felt it; his rage was too overwhelming. Had he been in such a situation, Vlad could not defeat him, and neither could Poison now.

The factory was slowly destroyed by the two launching attacks everywhere, Poison trying to get away from his foe, for he had made a deadly mistake: he unleashed the full power and hate of Danny Phantom, which even Vlad had never been able to do. Danny duplicated into 4, attacking Poison from all directions, screaming with hate.

Poison fought back hard, launching an explosion from his body that destroyed the duplicates and threw Danny back. He threw punches and kicks, but Danny did not even feel them. He fired beams out of his eyes and drove Poison back yet again. After a short time, he was forced against the support beams, a shield around him in an attempt to protect himself.

Danny pounded the shield again and again, launching ecto-blasts, punches, you name it. His knuckles were bleeding badly and one was even broken, but finally the shield broke and Poison fell to the ground, raising his arm and panting loudly. Black substance reached towards Danny in an effort to slow him down. He pulled with all his strength, slowly ripping the symbiote out of Derek's body, until the bonds were broken. The symbiote screamed and tried to rejoin him, but Danny sucked him in the Thermos with a satisfied smirk.

Derek, on his hands and knees, backed away as fast as he could, which didn't mean much, considering the shock and pain of having the symbiote ripped out of him. "Okay, Fenton, I surrender!" Derek raised his hand, crawling away with the other. His eyes, for the first time, were full of fear, and there was plenty of reason to be afraid.

XXXXXXX

Vlad sped towards the area, knowing Danny was probably going to need his help. _Foolish boy; does he want to get himself killed? _As he neared the battleground, he saw an inferno growing by the minute. Putting a shield around himself, he searched for Danny and co.

It was nearly impossible to see or hear in the flames. However, Vlad heard a weak cough nearby. Avoiding the fire as best he could, he followed the voice as best he could. After several tense seconds, he found Tucker on the ground, coughing weakly. "Come on, boy, let's get out of here."

"What about Sam?" He managed to gasp out.

"I'm getting her and Valerie as well; just hope I can find them in these flames."

"Valerie…"

"What about her, Tucker? I told you, I'm getting here out of here as well." Vlad hissed in pain as the flames burned his hand. _I don't have much time; I'd better find them now._

"Dead…Poison…"

"Who are you talking about?"

"He killed her…Valerie."

"She's dead?!" Tucker nodded weakly. "What about Samantha?"

"Alive…I think." Tucker collapsed from the smoke. Vlad flew into the air, conjured a duplicate to take him both to Fenton Works, and flew back into the flames.

"Samantha!" He flew through looking for her, ignoring the pain. Even turning intangible didn't protect him completely. He spotted a combat boot out of the corner of his eye. He rushed there and saw Samantha unconscious, the fire burning part of her body. Vlad hastily put it out, taking a good look at her. Thankfully, she was still alive. "Krueger's going to pay for this; this is what he wanted. Hopefully, whatever his plan is, it hasn't been completed yet." _I should help Daniel, but I need to get them to safety and heal their wounds._

"Never!" he heard Daniel scream. He saw various ecto-blasts being thrown around the factory. His instincts told him to go and help, but Vlad reluctantly shook his head. He had to see to Samantha and Tucker. _Besides, Daniel can take care of himself; he's barely even begun to discover how powerful he truly is._

XXXXXXX

Danny kept moving forward, though. "Fenton, I told you, I give up!"

"Now you realize what you're facing." Danny glared at him, his fists clenched in spite of the pain that was slowly showing itself. "You think I'm going to let you surrender? No, you'll try to kill me again as soon as you recover. This time I'm going to finish it; Derek Featherston, not only will you be defeated, you will be destroyed!" Before Derek could reply, Danny sent a burst of ectoplasmic lightning into his body, stunning him. He grabbed onto a machine, trying to pull himself up so he could fight. Derek groaned with the effort, moving up inch by inch.

"Pathetic fool; only at the end do you realize what you receive when you hurt my family." He declared grimly. He launched it again, sustaining it for a couple of seconds. Derek fell back to the ground, screaming in agony and fear, which was music to Danny's ears. "It's your fault Danielle suffered the way she did; it's your fault my father is dead." He fired the lightning again, this time keeping it up for several more seconds. "You killed Valerie, Featherston!" True, he was aiming for him and miscalculated, but it was his fault nonetheless. He launched again, keeping it going and slightly increasing its intensity.

"Help me, Alexis! Please!" Derek screamed in desperation, forming a fetal position in a futile attempt to protect himself, smoke coming from his body. Despite everything, he tried to get on his feet but Danny wasn't about to let him go.

"Shut up; no one's going to help you!" Danny yelled. "You've brought all of this on yourself!" He continued the shock, saying nothing more while Derek screamed and twitched in pain, rolling on the ground to escape it. After a couple of minutes, he ceased. He was badly drained of his power, but beyond that, Danny just wanted him to suffer. "Now, Featherston, you will die." His face turned into a grin.

Derek groaned, smoking pouring from his body. Weakly, he tried to crawl away, grabbing the floor. Danny watched with amusement as he ever-so-slowly crawled on the floor. After a few seconds, he launched again. Derek was again inflicted with pain, this time with the ecto-lightning at a greater intensity. All he knew was pain and agony while Danny had a sadistic smile on his face, shocking him again and again. His screams grew louder as Danny continued, smoke coming from Derek's body. It was unknown how much time took place, but it seemed like an eternity. Danny sighed in happiness with Derek's screams growing louder, but he was careful not to launch the full killing force. _This fucker is going to suffer for a LONG time. _Danny thought. He continued the assault for about another minute, Derek's screams echoing throughout the ruined factory. Gradually, his twitching and screaming gradually faded as he grew weaker. He was barely able to move at all, and a few seconds later, gave a final jolt.

Danny stopped the lightning momentarily. He saw that Derek, despite the fact he couldn't move, was still alive. "Sorry, I'm not showing any mercy this time, Featherston." He glared. Derek was curled into a ball, crying and whispering softly. Danny smashed his foot into his jaw furiously, smiling at the crack of bone. "Shut up; you had this coming for a long time! Time to die…"

But now it was Danny's turn to scream as someone grabbed his neck from behind. The assailant wore the specter deflector, which caused him great agony. He fired lightning at his assailant at a lethal level which he had not yet done to Derek. _Who the hell is this? _Danny thought as he tried to squirm from his assailant's grip. _Who would protect this worthless fuck? _He continued launching lightning, trying to hit whoever it was, but he (she?) made a difficult target.

He turned around and saw Derek's sister, Alexis, in agony but stubbornly holding onto to Danny. Her face was badly burned, nearly to the bone, but she held on no matter what he did to shake her. He kept firing, aiming frantically; In a different situation, Danny would never have dreamed of hurting a civilian, especially one trying to protect her brother. However, he was completely consumed with rage. "Fry, cunt!" He bellowed. Alexis didn't respond, still holding onto his neck. _If she's willing to protect him, she dies too! _Despite the lethal level of energy, Alexis held on as tight as she could. Her skin was on fire, most of her clothes burned to a crisp, her body being destroyed. Still she held on.

Danny rapidly started weakening, the deflector hurting him badly, although not nearly to the degree that Alexis was suffering. He fell to his knees, his lightning losing its intensity. Panting, he tried weakly to get her off, only to succeed at last. Alexis fell to the ground, her body almost completely black and white, bone showing on several parts of her; the last thing Danny saw was a smile on her face.

Yeah, I figured you guys would want to see something like that happen to my OC. Still, I'm not sure whether he deserved something as horrible as that, but it was fun to write. I think there are 2 chapters left and then an epilogue. I wanted to show the kind of stress the recent events have put on Danny and this seemed to be the way to do it.


End file.
